Could this be love?
by Feathers of the wind
Summary: Final chapters uploaded!
1. A rainy day

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**~*A/N: hey Minna-san! Well well! I made a new fic! ( Surprising, ne? heck, I surprised even myself...) Well, it's another V/H fluffy romance, oh BTW it has no connection whatsoever to my other fic, Hitomi and Van-Fateful Destiny. Enjoy!! ( Oh and please R&R!!!) ~Feathers of the Wind~***

Could this be Love?

Chapter 1: A rainy day

~Hitomi~

On Earth, a 20 year old young woman with bright shining green eyes was staring at the gray skies, as it rained heavily, the gentle sound of rain hitting the windows resounded through her ears.

"Well, there goes my run for the day," Hitomi sighed. Actually, Hitomi quit Track 2 years after her Gaea experience. One, it reminded her too much of the one she though loved her. Two: The one she thought loved her Van Fanel, stopped communicating with her. Through the power of the pendant Hitomi gave Van, they'd been able to speak to each other in their minds. 

"Well Kanzaki, what did you expect? It's been 5 years, you didn't think he'd wait forever did you?" A voice in Hitomi's head wanted to say 'yes' to that. 

" Besides, he's probably moved on, like I should be doing..." Hitomi looked down at her desk, and noticed one of her Tarot Cards lying around. The Luce. Van's card. 

"How did this get here?" Hitomi wondered. She hadn't touched her Tarot Cards since she got back from Gaea, so how did it get out of it's box?

"Ha, maybe it decided to grow legs to come over to talk to you because it got lonely." Hitomi laughed at herself. As she reached out to put the card back in it's dusty box, she saw a vision.

_ * The Vision *_

_Van was standing alone in the forest clearing, where Hitomi had departed 5 years back. Escaflowne still asleep towered over him. Van just crumpled into a heap and began to pound at the ground with his fists, yelling in frustration._

_"What's going on? Why is Van doing this?" Hitomi wondered as the scene grew dark. It switched to what Hitomi believed was Van's bedroom. Healers were everywhere, and of course Merle was at Van's bedside. _

_"Lord Van! Please stop doing this to yourself!" Merle sobbed. Van looked over, very tired._

_" I'm sorry Merle... but I can't. She isn't coming back, I can't live without her." Van coughed._

_"Who isn't coming back?" Hitomi wondered. then gasped in surprise when Van sat up revealing the pendant that she had given him, was still around his neck, the color contrasting greatly with his bare skin. _

_"H-He... he's still wearing it..." Hitomi felt her lips tremble. Merle abruptly stood, totally fed up._

_"Lord Van! It's been 5 years! 5 frickin years! Hitomi's probably found someone else, and is living happily ever after! You should too! Why can't you just let her go?!" Merle hissed. Van glowered at her._

_"Why?! WHY?! I can't let go of her because..." Van didn't get to finish as he fainted. _

_"Miss Merle, I suggest you leave, and don't make Lord Van angry... it tires him out." A healer scolded Merle and led her towards the door._

_* End of Vision* _

"Va..Van... he's in trouble! I have to go back to Gaea!" Hitomi jumped up. Then her mind reverted back to what Van could've possibly wanted to say before he passed out. Well, she knew it was about her, but what could it be? Hitomi didn't have time to think as the blue column of light appeared, and took her away.

***************************************

Hitomi landed in the forest of Fanelia, in the exact same place she had left 5 years before. It was late at night, so the streets were empty. Hitomi made her way to the castle, then groaned as she saw the number of guards there were surrounding the castle. There was no way they would let her in. Hitomi decided to try anyway, for Van's sake.

" Excuse me.. I need to see Van." Hitomi quietly said.

"Hmph. That's King Van to you, little lady! Who are you?" The guard boomed.

" I am Hitomi Kanzaki of the Mystic Moon! I was the one who saved Gaea during the great destiny war! Van is in trouble! I came all the way from the Mystic Moon to help him!" Hitomi defiantly replied, however the guard looked unimpressed.

"From the Mystic Moon, eh? Got any proof, 'Hitomi Kanzaki'?" the guard was mocking her! Hitomi fumed. She reached inside her jacket, and found what she was looking for. It was an item she always carried with her. Waving a pure white feather in front of the guard's face, Hitomi asked,

"Do you know what this is?" The guard looked as if he was ready to let her in, yet answered anyway.

"Yeah, it's a bird's feather. So what?" 

"No, it's not a bird feather. It's a draconian feather. And you do know who the last draconian of Gaea is, right? Well, King Van gave this to me!" 

The guard finally let her in. Hitomi wandered around a bit, until she found Van's room. When she opened the door, she saw Van sleeping by the light of a few candles. 

"Oh Van... what happened to you?" She whispered. As she walked over, Van called out in his sleep.

"No... Hitomi... don't...go. I need... you here..." Hitomi gasped. 

"He's dreaming... about me?!" Hitomi was really surprised. "Maybe he...no. If he did, he wouldn't have stopped talking to me." Still, Hitomi felt her heart break to see Van like this. 

"I'm going to help you Van, you'll be alright. I Promise." Hitomi whispered this vow as she took his cold hand in hers, placing her other hand on the pendant. The pendant began to glow softly, and Van's pale face now had a bit more color to it, and his hands were a bit warmer. Hitomi used quite a bit of her own life energy and gave it to Van, hoping to make his recovery time faster. Hitomi smiled, as she felt Van's semi-warm hand hold hers tighter. However, the loss of energy took it's toll on Hitomi as she began to feel weak and dizzy. She fell forwards, her head landing on the pillow beside Van's head. (Yes she's still in the chair...ouch. What a painful way to sleep...) 

_* Van's dream *_

_Van was in a field, when the ground beneath him collapsed. Van wasn't really worried, until he found out his wings weren't working. He just kept falling through the seemingly bottomless pit, bits and pieces of his life flashing in his mind. Most of them had Hitomi in them. As he kept falling, he noticed his body temperature was getting colder. Just when he though he was about to freeze, a burst of pink light surprised him. A gentle hand clasped his, and he felt his skin warm a little. He looked up to see his savior, only to see the silhouette of a woman he knew. The shadows covered her features, but besides the short, boyish haircut, he could clearly see the woman's eyes. Pools of liquid emerald, eyes he knew so well. _

_"Hitomi..." Van smiled, Hitomi smiled back._

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**~*A/N: hey hey! What did you think? No, I'm not done yet! I've just barely started... I had an inspiration of some sort to start another new fic. Originally, I was thinking of doing another poem, thanks to the encouragement of Jo- Jo( A very nice reviewer!) and well, it ended up turning into a new fic.. so why not? LOL... well, I'll be back soon! I assure of that! (That can either be a nice or scary thing....) ~Feathers of the wind~***__


	2. A visit from a dear friend

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**~* A/N: Hey Minna -san! I guess you really like this story, eh? LOL... ok, well I posted another chapter for ya, so enjoy!! oh and R&R! ~Feathers of the wind~* **

Could this be love?

**Chapter 2: A visit from a dear friend**

Van awoke the next morning feeling so much better. Then he remembered the 'dream' he had.

"Hitomi..." Only then did Van realize he was holding someone's hand. He looked over to see none other than Hitomi.

"Hitomi... Oh my god, you're here!" Van abruptly sat up, waking Hitomi in the process.

"Gomen, Sensei!" Hitomi blurted out, thinking she was on Earth in class. She usually day dreamed about Van during class, which would lead to her often saying this. She suddenly remembered she was on Gaea. She looked up to see Van staring at her in disbelief. 

"Van! H-How are you feeling?" Hitomi asked, smiling a little.

"I-I'm fine... how did you get here? And how did you know I was sick?" Van was no longer staring at the lanky 15 year old girl from 5 years ago. He was now staring at a 20 year old, woman with startling green emerald eyes, beautiful chestnut brown hair that went to her mid-back, and a taller/more curved body. Van almost wanted to punch himself to see if he was dreaming. 

"I, uh... saw a vision, and I just had to help. I couldn't stand to see you not well." Hitomi admitted, blushing a little. 'Wow, Van is so much more... muscular since I last saw him. He's so much taller... and more handsome. He's actually quite...sexy.' Hitomi thought.

"You mean you came all the way from the Mystic Moon, just to help me?" Van couldn't believe his ears. Could it really be she felt for him, what he felt for her?

" Of course. I mean, we're friends after all." Van's heart sank at the word 'friends'. 

'She thinks we're just friends...well, I want her to become more than that..." Van frowned a little.

"Van, is something wrong?" Hitomi asked, upon seeing the frown.

"Uh....No. I was just um... thinking." Van quickly answered.

"oh." Hitomi and Van sat in silence for a while. Hitomi then realized Van was still holding her hand. 

"Hitomi." Van's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Huh? I mean, yes?" Hitomi stuttered. Van looked at her questioningly. 

"After I'm healthy and all that again... will you be leaving for the Mystic Moon? Are you going to leave Gaea... again?" The question totally caught Hitomi off guard.

"Umm...I don't...know. Why?" Hitomi asked, 'was he suggesting something?'

"N-no reason..." Van looked away. Someone at the door knocked, then entered, it was a healer.

"My Lord...Hey, who are you?!" The healer asked, shocked that last night, the King had been alone. Now, at dawn there is a woman with him. Hitomi reluctantly let go of Van's hand, stood up and bowed.

"My name is Hitomi Kanzaki. I was here during the great war." Hitomi explained.

"Ahh... I see. The young Seeress from the Mystic Moon... the one Van always talks about." Hitomi risked a glance at Van, who was at the moment blushing a deep crimson color.

"Is there a reason you came here?" Van asked the Healer, trying to change the subject.

"Yes. I was going to check on you, but you seem to be doing fine. That's a miracle, considering how close to death you were yesterday." The Healer answered.

"About that... Van, what happened? How did you get like this?" Hitomi asked Van. Van knew he couldn't tell the truth, so he made something up.

"I don't know... maybe I'm working too hard or something." By the look on Hitomi's face, he knew she didn't believe a word of it. However, she said nothing.

"My Lord, breakfast will be served in one hour. Do you feel well enough to go?" The healer asked. Van looked at Hitomi, then answered,

"Yes I feel fine. Please note that Hitomi will also be joining us." The Healer nodded then left. Hitomi immediately rounded on him.

"You don't know?! You may have been working too hard? True as that may be, that isn't the reason for you being sick, is it?" There was no answer.

"That's not the reason for you just breaking down in the forest, trying to beat up the ground is it?" Hitomi sounded angry, but mostly hurt.

"Why can't you tell me the truth?" Hitomi asked. Van was becoming his 15 year old self again. 

"No, it's not the reason. But that is none of your business!" he snapped.

"Oh, it's not my business?! MY ASS! It's my business when people I care about get sick, then lie to me about it!" Hitomi shot back.

"What's it to you anyway?" Van haughtily asked.

"uh, HELLO!!!! I came all the way from the Mystic Moon to see if you're still alive and well, and I get this?! You're my friend, I care about you! Why can't you understand that?" Hitomi was beginning to lose her patience. 

"No." Was the only reply. Hitomi threw her hands up in the air, frustrated, and walked away from him.

"You're too stubborn to reason with. Forget it!" Hitomi slumped into a chair, crossing her arms over her chest, as she stared up at the ceiling. 

"Fine then." Van answered. She got out of bed, over to his closet. He pulled out a red shirt, and tan pants from his seemingly endless supply of the same outfit, and went to the bathroom to change. When he came back, Hitomi was still staring at the ceiling. Sighing, Van came over to her.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Hitomi looked at him, then sighed.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Hitomi now stared at the floor. 

"No, you had a right too. I was being a jerk. But...I still can't tell you why I got sick yet. I promise I'll tell you, I just don't know when." Van promised. Hitomi seemed satisfied with that answer. Since it was almost time for breakfast, they made their way down to the dining room.

~~~*********************~~~

After breakfast, Van had a council meeting, so this left Hitomi alone. Merle peaked her head into Hitomi's room, but found it empty.

"Hmm... I wonder, where is she?" Merle ran around the castle looking for herand finally found her outside, looking at Folken's grave. 

"Well Folken, what should I do?" Merle heard Hitomi ask. There was no answer, but Merle suspected that Folken was answering Hitomi in her mind. 

"Whatcha doing?" Merle loudly asked. Hitomi jumped.

"Ack! What are you doing here? You weren't eavesdropping, were you?" Hitomi warily eyed her cat friend.

"No...I didn't. Why??? What was it about?" Merle purred.

"None of your business!" Hitomi snapped, blushing red.

"You know, when you do that you sound a lot like Lord Van." Merle noted. No answer.

"gasp! I know! You were talking about Lord Van, weren't you?!" Merle had known that Van liked her, so if she felt the same way... Matchmaker Merle to the rescue! Hitomi was blushing to hard that Merle was worried her head would pop off. 

"You know Merle, you shoudn't annoy Hitomi." A calm voice sounded behind them. 

"Lord Van!" Merle jumped on him. "You're looking much better this morning!" 'Of course you are... Hitomi's here.' Merle added in her thoughts.

"Van... it's alright. She wasn't TOO annoying." Merle smiled innocently.

"Er...ok. Umm.. Merle? Can you get lost for a little bit?" Van asked. Merle eyed the two suspiciously, but complied.

"So... Van." Hitomi waited for Van to say what he needed to say.

"Well... You see there's going to be a ball in honor of my 21st birthday. I just wanted to know... if you'd be going?" Van asked. 

"Of course I'll go! When is it?" Hitomi cheerily asked.

"In 3 days." Van answered, relieved at her answer.

"Great... I'll be there." Hitomi smiled.

"Thanks.. well, I gotta go now, I'll see you later." Van turned to leave then stopped. 

"And save me a dance, will you?" He called over his shoulder. Hitomi nearly screamed, but quickly answered yes. After Van left, Hitomi just sank to the grass.

"Omg, Omg Omg... He just asked me to dance with him. Omg omg omg... " Hitomi kept repeating to herself in her delirious daze.

~~~*************~~~

**~*A/N: Well, that was the end of Chapter 2! What do you think? Aww... Van asked Hitomi out! ( Sorta...) Please tell me what you think! ~Feathers of the wind~***


	3. The ball

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**~*A/N: Hey hey! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to add the last chapter to my other story! ^-^; Well, here's Chapter 3!**

Could this be love?

**Chatper 3: The ball**

Two days later, when Van had a moment to spare, Merle dragged him over to a corner of the room.

"Did you ask her? And what did she say?" Merle hissed.

"Yes... She accepted. Why do you want to know?" Van asked, smiling a little.

"Oh I'm just making sure you don't do anything stupid. You know that you get all tongue-tied around her, you almost never say anything right." Merle teased. Van pretended to scowl at her, but smiled when he saw Hitomi poke her head in the room to see if anyone was there.

"Hi Van, Merle." Hitomi greeted and walked over. Van's eyes nearly popped out. She was absolutely beautiful. Hitomi was wearing a pale blue silk dress with think straps. It was a rather form-fitting dress, and hugged her body's curves nicely. It had no decoration, but it didn't need any. It was beautiful enough.

"Uh oh! Looks like someone's drooling!" Merle laughed. Van remembered where he was, so shook his head to clear his mind, then glared at Merle. 

"So, Lord Van, I'm gonna go now, have fun you two!" Merle skipped out of the room leaving Van and Hitomi in an awkward silence.

"Van... I love the way you rebuilt Fanelia! It looks so beautiful!" Hitomi tried to start a conversation.

"You like it? Actually... Come on, I want to show you something." Van took her hand, and led her outside to a part of the Fanelian forest she never noticed before. Hitomi gasped when she saw it. It was like a magical place that you could only dream about. There was a waterfall, with wild flowers everywhere. With the mist coming from the waterfall and the sunlight filtering through the tops of the trees, there was also a bit of a rainbow.

"Oh my god.... Van this is beautiful!" HItomi turned to face Van, who was sitting on a large rock. 

"I come here a lot, to get away from the rest of the world, and my 'kingly' duties." Van admitted, sighing a bit. Hitomi came over beside him, sighing as well.

"It must be hard for you. Being a king and trying to maintain your sanity as well." Van laughed a little, unconsciously putting his hand on top of hers. 

"yeah... sometimes. But someone always makes it easier for me." Hitomi smiled a little.

"Merle, right? I mean, she's practically your 3rd foot." Van looked as if he was hesitating to answer, but said what he thought she should know.

"No... it's not Merle." Hitomi seemed a little surprised. 

"Not Merle? Then who is it?" Unaware of the fact that her and Van's face were millimeters apart. 

"You. Hitomi...I-I love you." his and Hitomi's lips gently touched, then locked. Hitomi wrapped her arms around Van's neck, as his hands went behind her head. After what seemed an eternity, they broke apart. 

"I love you too, Van." Hitomi answered, looking deep into his eyes. Some coughed.

"AHEM! I hope I'm not interrupting anything!" Merle's voice sounded. Van and Hitomi didn't move from their embrace, yet answered,

"Actually... you were interrupting something rather important." Merle rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well you grace oh goodness, I need to get Hitomi ready for tonight's ball!" Merle came over and practically dragged Hitomi out of the forest, mumbling something about having to do everything by herself. Grinning sheepishly, Hitomi looked back at Van, mouthing: I'll see you later!

~~~*********************~~~  
Much later....

It had taken two hours for Merle to get Hitomi into a dress. Hitomi kept complaining about every dress she pulled out, so Merle threatened to rip her eyes out if she didn't pick one in the next 2 seconds. Hitomi had to admit, this one actually looked kind of nice on her. It was an emerald green velvet V-neck dress, with 3 straps on each arm.( If you need a picture, e-mail me, be sure to leave an e-mail address!) The full skirt was covered with a layer of white tulle, which had flowers randomly embroidered. The center of the flowers all had different colored gems, causing the gown to shine and sparkle as she moved. Hitomi also had a shawl to match the color of the gown in emerald green tulle. For her hair, Merle had done it up into an elegant twist with two strands hanging down, framing either side of her face. As a finishing touch, she added a small white rose into her hair. As accessories, Hitomi wore a simple god chain with a small diamond on it. Hitomi was stunned at the transformation.

"Thank you so much, Merle!" Hitomi gently hugged her.

"well, what else can I do for someone Van loves?" Hitomi blushed a little.

"You weren't spying on us earlier today, were you?!" 

"I don't need to spy on you to know these things." Merle simply answered.

"I-is it that obvious?" Hitomi wondered if everyone else knew as well.

"Oh yeah. Well, to me, anyway. After all, I've known Lord Van all my life, it's EASY to tell when someone's special to him." 

" Of course you can tell, you've felt that all your life. Van cares a lot about you." Hitomi reminded her.

"yeah, I guess. Well, the ball won't wait forever!" Merle laughed, pushing Hitomi out into the hallway. Hitomi reached the stairs she was supposed to walk down, and as she walked, an elderly man announced:

"Hitomi Kanzaki, Heroine of gaea, seeress of the Mystic Moon." Hitomi hadn't been expecting this, and the whole room fell silent, to gawk at her. The heroine of gaea was here?! Van chuckled slightly, seeing the terror on her face when the old man announced her name. All Hitomi could do was walk down the stairs, as everyone continued to stare. Luckily, Van decided to come to her rescue, by walking over to her smiling warmly. Hitomi could feel all the nervousness go away when she saw Van approach, and returned the smile. Music was starting, a waltz. Van took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Whispers were everywhere; ' Did you know that their love saved Gaea? how romantic!' That type of thing.

"Van, you didn't tell me they'd be announcing my name!" Hitomi softly hissed while they danced slowly together.

"Well...you're famous here. I knew you wouldn't want them to something like that, so I tried to get the old man to not say your name, but he wouldn't listen to me." Van apologized, Hitomi started to laugh.

"It's alright, as long as they don't do that too often." Van stared at her.

"OH no! You mean their going to this a lot?" Hitomi didn't like the idea of everyone oogling at her as if she was from the zoo.

"There are actually going to be two more balls..." Van said. Hitomi and Van were off in their own little world, failing to see how everyone cleared away from them, leaving them the only couple on the dance floor. Everyone was "ooh"ing and "aww" ing, as Van and Hitomi's face was getting unbearably close. Just then an another announcement was made.

"We have a surprise for all of Fanelia! The King will be marrying Princess Maya of Alatoria!" (Don't ask. I just made up a country) Everyone started clapping, but Van was really Mad...

"What?! Since when?!" Van looked around for Hitomi, but saw her running up the stairs to her room, tears running down her face. 

"OH Shit..." Van groaned. Great, this idiot who made the announcement had just ruined everything. Van made a personal note to kill him someday. Rough hands grabbed him as he was made to stand beside his 'queen'. Glancing at her, he saw she didn't look too thrilled about this arranged marriage either. The two of them were rigidly standing beside one another, until Van said he had to attend to something. The princess looked almost relieved. Van went up the stairs, going to Hitomi's room. This was going to be difficult to explain.

Hitomi was upstairs in her room, crying to her heart's content. She undid her hair, leaving it slightly messy, but she was still in her dress. At the moment, she was face down on her bed, trying to cry herself to sleep. Before, Merle was in her room, asking why Hitomi was back so early, and why Hitomi was crying. Hitomi just didn't answer, yet kicked Merle out of the room. After about 15 minutes, Hitomi heard a knock on her door.

"Merle, I said GO AWAY!" Hitomi heart brokenly yelled. The door opened anyway. HItomi was really mad, so she took a heavy pillow and threw it at the person entering her room.

"Ow..." That voice didn't belong to Merle. 

"Van, what do you want?" Hitomi growled. Van decided it wouldn't be safe to get too close, so her took a few more steps. 

"I needed to explain." Hitomi laughed an empty laugh.

"Explain?! Well, there's no need to. You were engaged, you didn't tell me, you lied about everything you said to me. Have I left anything out?" Hitomi icily responded. Van was getting quite angry.

"You think I want this? Well, I didn't even know about this! And I did not lie about anything I said to you!" Van shot back. 

"Maybe you lied, maybe you didn't. I'll never know. All I want right now though, is for you to leave me alone!" Hitomi lay back down again. However, Van didn't listen to what she said, for he did the exact opposite. He came and sat down beside her, softly stroking her cheek. 

"Hitomi, please listen to me. I didn't know about this whole stupid thing, and I don't plan on following it either. I love you, and only you." Van tilted her chin so he could look straight into her eyes. He felt her tremble at his touch and her eyes were wide. She looked elsewhere and got up, walking around. 

"Van, you're engaged now. We really shouldn't be doing this. I don't want to cause anymore trouble... I don't want to cause and trouble for Alatoria and Fanelia..." Hitomi's voice was shaking, and almost wanted to say "But I don't care" But that was wrong. The next thing she knew, she was in Van's arms crying. She didn't know how that happened, but she didn't care. A little voice in her head told her, she really should pull away, but Hitomi ignored it.

"Screw you, conscience." Hitomi thought. A few moments later, Hitomi fell asleep. Van carried her a short distance to her bed and lay her down. 

"Hitomi, I promise you, we'll work this out. I love you too much to let you go, just because of an idiotic announcement a fool made." Van promised, kissing her lightly on her lips. Then, he left the room. As soon as he entered his room, Merle jumped right in front of him. Bearing her claws, she hissed,

"What hell did you do to Hitomi?! What did you do now?" Van sighed. He really didn't want to go through tonight's events all over again, so he just answered,

"Nothing... " Of course, Merle being the curious kitten she is, wanted to know more, but something about Van's tone stopped her. It sounded so... sad and deflated. 

"I'll get to the bottom of this." Merle thought. "Nobody but nobody gets in the way of Van and Hitomi without getting my permission first!!" 

**~*A/N: Hmm.... that was a pretty long chapter in my opinion. What do you people think? You like, you hate?? Aww... Merle actually cares! well, in my story I wanted Merle to be more sisterly, not all stupid like she was in the anime. Please R&R!!  
~Feathers of the wind~***


	4. Heart Break again

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**~*A/N: Hey hey! Chapter 4! I'm kinda messed up with this chapter, so if it really sucks, tell me!!! I'll try to change it....~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 4: Heart Break again**

Hitomi woke up when the sun was just rising. For a moment, she wondered why she was still in her dress, and why she felt so gloomy. Suddenly, last night's events hit her hard, like a wave crashing down on a beach. She remembered how her heart seemed to shatter into a million pieces when she heard that Van was engaged to someone.

"Well... now what. I love him, but he's engaged. I can't just act as if nothing happened. I wonder...He may say he doesn't want to marry this Princess, but what if his feelings change?" Hitomi muttered to herself. She looked up suddenly, as her door was flung open. Merle ran in. 

"Hitomi! Are you alright? What happened last night?" Hitomi decided to take matters into her own hands, so said nothing. 

"Hmph! Fine then... at least wear this!" Merle answered, holding up a dress, that Hitomi would think a million years about, before even considering. It was a teal dress made of satin, with thin spaghetti straps. The neckline wasn't exactly modest, and would show a great deal of cleavage. Up the right side of the dress, there was a slit that would most likely stop at her upper thigh. 

"Merle! You expect me to wear this?!" Hitomi was shocked. Merle smiled smugly.

"Well, if nothing happened last night, you shouldn't have a problem wearing this, ne?" Merle flashed one of her innocent smiles. 

"Tell, you what. I'll even do your hair for you... come on!" Merle pleaded. Hitomi got rid of the scowl on her face.

"Oh all right..." She started to get changed into the lovely teal dress. Like Hitomi suspected, the neckline was pretty low, and would render a man unconscious by looking at her lovely form. Also, the slit up the dress was higher than she thought. Almost her entire leg was showing, save for a few centimeters that were covered by the dress. She wore matching teal heels with one strap on the ankle. (People, think Sailor Venus shoes.) Hitomi had been forced by Merle to close her eyes while she did the hairstyle. When Hitomi opened her eyes, she gasped.

"Is that me?" She managed to squeak. Merle had left her honey brown hair down, but made it slightly wavy. She didn't know how Merle did it, but there were thin teal ribbons interweaving her hair, along with a few traces of glitter in her hair. Merle applied a finishing touch, light pink lip gloss. 

"Oh my god, Merle! Thank you!" Hitomi whispered. Merle smiled in response, then a knock was at the door. Hitomi feared it might be Van.

"Milady, breakfast." Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief. It was just the maid bringing in breakfast. Hitomi opened the door for her, after the Maid set down her food, she left. 

"Be careful Hitomi! Don't mess up the dress, your hair, or your makeup!!!!!" Merle warned, drawing out a feline claw as she did so. 

"Oh, don't worry Merle." Hitomi answered, smiling. Merle rolled her eyes.

"When you say that, I worry more..." She muttered, leaving the room. Hitomi ate quickly, then left the room as well, hoping not to run into Van today. Escaping outside into the Royal Gardens, she found some really beautiful, exotic plants and flowers. She was so fascinated with the flowers, she didn't notice Van coming up behind her. 

"umm... Hi, Hitomi." He greeted, rather lamely in his opinion. Hitomi looked startled for a moment, then turned around to see Van. When she turned, Van nearly died. _Where did she get that dress???_ Van wondered. He could easily see the cleavage, not to mention how beautiful she looked today. _Then again, she's always beautiful to me._

"Um..hello...Van." She mumbled looking at the ground. That sort of made Van's heart sink

_I guess she's still mad at me..._ Van was deep in thought until he heard Merle's familiar light tread. A look of Horror and desperation crossed his face.

"Oh no.... Hitomi, hide me, quick!" He jumped into a rose bush, cursing silently to himself. Hitomi looked rather confused, until she saw Merle. 

"Hitomi, have you seen Van anywhere??? I think he's avoiding me. Hmm... He's here isn't he?" Merle asked, sniffing the air. Of course, with her keen sense of smell, she easily found poor Van, hiding in a thorny rose bush. Making the two stand together, she stood with her arms crossed, she stood her ground.

"Alright, what's going on? Normally, you two would be all over each other... but now you're not. Spill the beans!" Merle hissed. Neither of them wanted to comply, but one look at those horribly sharp claws of hers, changed everything. Hitomi and Van talked about how he was engaged this and that. Merle listened intently, then came with a conclusion.

"Van, do you love Hitomi?" Van looked at her like she was crazy.

"Of course I love Hitomi." Van had no idea where she was getting.

"Hitomi, do you love Van?" Hitomi cocked an eyebrow at her, looking at her quizically.

"Of course I do... you know I do, Merle. What are you getting at?" _The way the feline mind works will always amaze me..._Hitomi thought.

"Well.... Lord Van, if you and Hitomi really love each other, then you could probably break the marriage. After all, Love conquers all! Right?" She reasoned.

"Besides, what more could you want? A beautiful, heroine of Gaea, or some stupid princess?" Merle joked. Just then a voice behind them scared them all.

"Well, this Princess isn't all that stupid." Princess Maya! Her waist length black hair was left down, shining in the sunlight. She was wearing a light blue silk dress, that had little flowers embroidered from the hip down. She wore her princess circlet/crown like thing on her forehead, and a simple silver necklace. Hitomi got a good look at her. She was beautiful. How could Van not see that? She wondered if he was drooling over her or not, but right now didn't want to know. Noting the uncomfortable silence, Merle decided to think of something quick.

"Umm... Sorry about that, Princess Maya. It's just that we have a sort of problem here." The princess looked interested.

"What sort of problem?" 

"Well... You see, Lord Van really loves Hitomi, but since you two are engaged and all..." Van and Hitomi were beet red. How could she just tell the Princess their love life?!

"I have that problem too." The princess sighed. "There's this guy back home in Alatoria...We really like each other. But then... this was sprung upon me, so..." She stared at the ground, sighing a little.

"Then, why don't you two break up the marriage?! I mean, since you both have...lovers, let's say." The Princess shook her head. 

"It doesn't work like that. Marriages used to be like that, but now, most arranged marriages are for joining two countries for power. My father would never let me back out of this, as much as I'd like to help." Van couldn't stand it anymore. 

"You know what? I'm going to see my idiotic council members right now... Princess, you're following me." He stormed into the castle.

~~~****************************~~~

"This is ridiculous! I don't love her, she doesn't love me! WE DON'T WANT TO MARRY EACH OTHER! We have other people in mind!" Van was screaming at a councilor. 

"You know, as much as I like Lady Hitomi, you wouldn't be able to marry her anyway." This really angered Van.

"Oh? And why not?!" Van was beginning to wish he was a normal person, not some King with a million rules. 

"She is not of Royal blood. We cannot allow this type of marriage." The councilor answered simply. Van and Princess Maya looked at each other, eyes lost hope. They both walked defeated out of the room, where Hitomi and Merle were waiting. 

"Well, what happened?!" Merle asked immediately, but the look on their faces told her all she needed to know.

"It didn't work... did it." Hitomi guessed. It was a statement, not a question. Van shook his head sadly.

"They want me to marry someone of Royal Blood..." He replied bitterly.

"If your council is like that, most likely I wouldn't be able to marry who I would have wanted. He's a knight of the castle, and my father would probably disapprove." Princess Maya commented sadly. Hitomi know felt quite out of place. It had been wonderful until this happened. She felt like she was getting in the way all the time. _It's time to let go of him, Kanzaki. No matter how much you love him... there's nothing you can do. You're not Royalty, you're not a princess or anything. _Hitomi sighed, then turned to Van.

"Van, I want you to know that I'll always love you. No matter what. I-I just think...I'm getting in the way. " She said the last few words, kissed Van softly on the cheek. Then, slowly backed away.

"No... Hitomi, don't do this to me." Van pleaded. Hitomi felt her chin tremble, and her eyes start to water.

"I'm sorry Van. I don't want to do this either. But, it's inevitable." She took one last look at Van, the man she loved more than anything Gaea or Earth, then turned and ran. _It's so unfair._ Hitomi thought, as she sprinted down the hall, tears running down her face. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn't care. _Van, I'll never forget you. I'll never get over you. I'll never.... love anyone as much as you._

Van watched as she quickly disappeared from his sight, and started to chase after her. Merle held him back.

"Merle what are you doing?!" Van was close to tears himself. Merle also had tears in her eyes. 

"No Lord Van. Leave her alone. She's really upset... you'll just make her more angry. Don't you know how hard is it for her to do something like that? To say good bye to the man she loves, without a second chance to try? She was doing it for you! She didn't want to be a bother, but just give her some space." Merle said. Van sighed, then turned in the opposite direction, heading towards his room. He flopped down on his bed, and just cursed loudly. _How is it possible?_ He wondered. _To come back from death because the woman I love came back. Then, we admitted to each other our feelings. Then, to lose it all... within 5 days?_ Van closed his eyes for a moment, trying to shut out the pain. _I'll never love anyone but you, Hitomi. I don't care what my council does or says, but you are the Queen of Fanelia in my eyes. _

**~* A/N: Oh, aren't I evil?? LOL... Yes, the traditional v/h break up. But twice! Ooh... that's gotta hurt. Please R&R. Don't worry the story will get better as time goes on! ~Feathers of the wind~***


	5. New Princess

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**~A/N: I am back!!!! *Readers run away* Heehee... well, here's chapter 5 for people who are still reading this! Please R&R! Let me know what you think of it! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 5: New princess**

The day passed very slowly for Van. It was still the same day, but Van felt a million years old. Hitomi hadn't come back yet, but Van knew she was still on Gaea, for he didn't see the column of light. By mid afternoon, Van was getting really worried. Hitomi was still out there, wherever she was. Why did she have to run away?!

_It's all your fault, stupid._ Van reminded himself. He waited 30 more seconds, then decided by then to find Hitomi himself. He didn't care if she wanted him to find her or not, he wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Merle." He called, when he saw Merle passing by in the hall.

"Yes Lord Van?" Even Merle sounded depressed, due to Hitomi's absence.

"I'm going to find Hitomi. If I'm not back when anyone asks, just tell them I'm not here." Merle nodded enthusiastically. As he ran down the hall, Merle smiled to herself, marveling at how much Van had grown up from the arrogant, proud self he had been. 

"Well, he's not entirely stupid, after all. Oh Lord Van, please find her." Merle pleaded.

At dinner, Van still wasn't back, and no one knew where he was, except Merle. 

"Alright Cat-Woman, where is King Van?" A councilor demanded. Merle gave him an evil glare, but composed herself.

"He's not here. And it's all your fault. Did you ever think about how Lord Van would feel, when you arranged this dumbass idea of a marriage? Did you ever think how Princess Maya might feel about this marriage? You keep saying that you're doing whatever you do, for Fanelia. How can you be doing Fanelia a favor when you don't even stop to think about your King, Lord Van! He has feelings too! And are you people BLIND?! How could you not see how much in love Hitomi and Lord Van are?! How can you not see how you idiots are tearing Lord Van apart? If you really want to do your job properly, declare this marriage void and null. Now." Merle added, baring a claw. She almost could believe herself, yelling at the advisors like that, but they looked like they knew they got what was deserved. When Merle looked at Princess Maya, she was rewarded with a look of gratitude. 

"Fine. The marriage is off." An advisor finally announced. Merle and Princess Maya got up and hugged each other in delight. 

"However," The advisor continued. Merle and Princess Maya knew they weren't going to like hearing what was to come next.

"Van will still only be allowed to marry someone of Royal blood." Princess Maya and Merle looked at each other. Uh oh... Hitomi wasn't Royal Blood. There was nothing they could do about that.

~~~*********************~~~

Van was still outside, flying, running, doing whatever he could trying to find Hitomi. After 3 hours, it was getting too dark to see. Still, he didn't feel like getting back to the castle, so he decided to go to his special place, as he really did need some non-thinking time. When his feet touched the ground of his sanctuary, his breath was taken away from the sight of it. Sure, he knew it was beautiful in the day time, but that was nothing compared to what it looked like at night. The light of the double moons up above cast a silvery glow upon all it touched. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. yes, he did feel a little better. 

_Yeah, but you still didn't find Hitomi. And it's getting dark out. Who knows where she could be._ Van wanted to kill his conscience. He walked around his playground a bit longer, then noticed something. Or rather...some_one _sitting up in a tree. The figure was silhouetted, a black shape against the white moon. Even without being able to see details, he knew who it was.

"Hitomi!" He shouted, glad he found her, even if it was by accident. The figure turned a little. Sighed then carefully came down from the tree. 

"What were you doing up there?" Van asked. Hitomi just shrugged her shoulders. Van was a little saddened by her response, so tried again.

"Why did you run away... all day? I was worried about you. So was Merle. You really scared us." Van tried again, this time walking slowly with her, making their way out of the forest. 

"I-I... had to get away." She slowly answered. Van noticed how her voice sounded dry, and slightly nasal, as if her nose was plugged, or something. He looked at her face, and saw a few tears running down her face in the moonlight. He sighed. She was still so beautiful. Without thinking, he wiped away her tears with a finger, and held her close. Hitomi made no attempt to resist. 

"Van, I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. I love you, you know that. But.... this thing. I-I... " She just sobbed while Van held her. Smoothing back her hair and gently stroking her back, Van whispered,

"I know. Me too. I just really wish that we could get out of this stupid problem." They didn't notice, but they were now right in front of the castle. 

"Hitomi!!" It was Merle. Hitomi smiled a little, trying to hide her tears. "I'm so glad you're back. Lord Van, Hitomi, there's some really exciting news! THE WEDDING'S OFF!!!!!" Merle did a little victory dance. Van and Hitomi looked at each other, shocked, but really glad. Merle looked at Hitomi and asked,

"Hitomi! What happened? Hey, were you crying recently? You look pretty awful, red puffy eyes, a puffy face..." Merle would've gone on, but She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Lord Van... Millerna is coming soon." Van looked surprised. 

"She is? Why?" Merle shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe she wants to see Hitomi... or maybe wants to say hi... or wants to see Allen. I don't know." Merle guessed. 

"If Millerna is coming, I better go and uh... make myself presentable." Hitomi sighed. Merle eyed her.

"You didn't get that dress dirty, did you?" Hitomi looked at it, and said no. "Your hair still looks pretty good, so just go wash your face." Hitomi nodded, then went to her room. 

"Umm... Lord Van?" Merle didn't really want to upset his 'happy' moment, but she had to break the news to him.

"Hmm?" Van wasn't even really paying attention. Merle sighed, the decided to let hell loose.

"The wedding may be off... but they still want you to marry someone of Royal Blood..." This snapped Van back to reality. 

"Oh crap...." Van would've said more, but someone entered the room.

"Van! Merle!" It was Millerna. Merle and Van smiled at her.

"Hi Millerna! I trust that your journey here was comfortable?" Millerna nodded.

"yes... enough with all that. I heard Hitomi was here! And I heard a wedding was going on, is Hitomi marrying you?" 

"Well....Hitomi is here, yes. Marrying me...not yet." Millerna looked shocked. 

"If she's not marrying you... then who is?" Merle laughed.

"You mean, who WAS? The wedding is off, Lord Van doesn't have to marry Princess Maya of Alatoria anymore. But the councilors still won't let Lord Van marry anyone who's not Royal blood." Merle sighed. Millerna didn't answer, but she looked deep in thought. 

"MILLERNA!!!!" It was Hitomi, who was, by the way, looking much better. Millerna looked over, and ran to her. They both embraced like they were sisters. 

"Oh my goodness... Hitomi! You look so beautiful! You've changed a lot in the past 5 years!" Hitomi blushed a little. 

"You look great too! How is Austuria doing?" Millerna smiled, and said it was doing well. Then she decided to put her little idea into action.

"So...I hear the mismatched wedding is off..." Hitomi smiled. 

"Yeah.. it is." Hitomi still didn't know about the whole royal blood thing, so Merle cut in.

"But Hitomi... they still won't let Lord Van marry anyone less than Royalty!" Hitomi looked at the floor. Millerna made up her mind.

"And why should that be a problem?" Van, Hitomi and Merle looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Umm... Millerna, you know that Hitomi isn't royalty... right?" Merle asked. Millerna shook her head slightly.

"She is now. Hitomi...how would you like to become a princess of Austuria?" Hitomi's eyes widened. 

"A-are you... serious?" Millerna nodded.

"Of course. I care for you like a sister, and if you had blonde hair, no one would guess that you weren't. Besides... once you're a princess, they councilors can't dispute that you're not royal blood... correct?" Millerna turned to Van and Merle. 

"Then...Of course!!!!" Hitomi ran to Millerna and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much, Millerna!!!" 

"No problem... _Princess Hitomi_."

~~~*************************~~~

**~A/N: Ok, so word up! What did you think??? Of course the story doesn't end there. It's just that since I'm just starting high school (I'm in grade 9) I have a lotta homework. ;_; Yeah. So, I'll probably be adding a chapter once or twice a week. please R&R!!! ~Feathers of the wind~* **


	6. Not everything is as it seems

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**~*A/N: Hey.. I am back yet again. I didn't have homework today, so I decided to post another chapter. enjoy!!   
~Feathers of the wind~* **

Could this be love?

**Chapter 6: Not everything is as it seems**

Millerna had just announced to the people of Austuria that Hitomi was now a princess. There was a huge banquet and such stuff, and Van felt on top of the world. 

_Ha, now I can marry her.. if she says yes that is. And now the council can't be assholes. _Van smirked to himself. Hitomi looked over at Van and saw him looking like 'the cat who ate the canary'. She walked over to him and put her face right in front of his. Van who suddenly had the light blocked from his face, was snapped back to real life, only to see Hitomi's face not more than 2 millimeters away. He smiled at her, and she kissed him lightly. The two of them didn't realize that everyone was "oohing' and "ahhing' knowing that the new Princess of Austuria wouldn't be here for too long. Van didn't want everyone to see them right then, so he took Hitomi's hand and gently led her outside. 

"What's wrong Van? Can't handle people looking at us?" Hitomi joked when they were outside in the gardens, away from prying eyes. 

"Of course. Only I get to look at you." Van joked back, wrapping his arms around her. Hitomi sighed contently, leaning against him. 

_Well, Fanel. Ask her now, otherwise she'll doubt you. You definitely don't want to go through THAT again..._ Van was talking to himself. He gently unwrapped his arms from Hitomi's waist and shoulders, and stood in front of her. Hitomi looked at him quizically, but was surprised when Van kneeled at her feet. 

"Hitomi... after all we've gone through, through thick and thin, I know I love you, and I always will. You are truly my other half of my soul. Will you... Will you make me the happiest man alive on Gaea by marrying me?" Hitomi fell to her knees and hugged him. 

"Of course Van. I love you too." And to seal that as a promise, they kissed. It wasn't just any kiss, I mean it was a KISS! They must've been kissing for at least 10 minutes when Millerna stumbled upon them outside. She smiled, and knew that Hitomi and Van really loved each other. It seemed as if they were made for each other. When Van was in an uproar, Hitomi would calm him like the waves that gently wash up on a beach. When Hitomi was scared, Van would be her wall to lean on. She really hated to disturb them, but it was rather important. 

"Ahem... Sorry, sister. But you need to come back to the banquet. Everyone wants to talk to you. If you want, you can retire from the banquet a little earlier than you were 'supposed' to. I know how much you would _love_ that." Millerna joked, and laughed a little as both Van and Hitomi's cheeks had a little rosy tint to them. 

"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, Sister Millerna. C'mon Van, let's go." Hitomi and Van stood up, and walked back to the banquet, hand in hand. 

About 3 hours passed when finally Hitomi and Van were allowed to leave. They were just about to leave the room, when Hitomi decided to ask something.

"Van... should we tell them now that we're... engaged?" Van thought for a moment. 

"I actually don't know...because, since you JUST became a princess... Should we wait a little?" Van didn't want the people of Austuria to think that Hitomi just became a princess so she could marry him. 

"Yes... I guess we should wait... how long?" Hitomi didn't want to wait for too long.

"How about....2 weeks. It would work much better, trust me." Van said lovingly, kissing her cheek.

"Of course I trust you." Hitomi whispered back, kissing him on the lips. They left the room without a doubt in each other's mind. One person was watching through it all. 

"Stupid Mystic moon bitch." The person muttered, venom hissing in her words. She was standing alone in a dark corner of the room. She had bright, blazing teal eyes that reflected the evil in her soul. She had long, black hair that went down to her lower back, and in the shadows, her body seemed to have some kind of aura surrounding it, a dark blue eerie light. She stepped out of the shadows and into the light, making her evil appearance vanish, and in it's place a gentle, kind looking woman took it's place. 

"We shall see if you live 2 weeks to tell anything."

~~~**********************~~~

~*A/N: OOh... what's happening???? Who is this mysterious, evil person???Sorry that I took so long to get this chapter out! Please R&R!!!!!~ Feathers of the wind~*


	7. Stolen

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**~*A/N: Allo Everyone!!! It's been a long time, ne? Hmm... Chapter 7!!!! Fun fun! YEAH!!!! OK... here it is. Enjoy! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 7: double identity**

"Princess Maya, would you care for a dessert?" Princess Maya looked around her and found a servant offering something. 

"Oh, no thank you." She said, smiling one of her dazzling, kind smiles. As the servant walked away, she left the room, going to a quiet, dark place. 

"I can't think with these stupid fools making so much racket!!" She hissed. She found a dark cave, unoccupied. 

"Perfect." She stepped into the shadows, and once again became the evil woman with the dark blue aura surrounding her. She closed her glowing teal eyes, and focused on the girl from the Mystic moon and Van Slanzar de Fanel, the King of Fanelia. She saw them walking through the castle, smiling at each other and holding each other rather closely. When they kissed good night, Princess Maya opened her eyes in fury. 

"ARGH! The girl must be eliminated!" 

Her hair started to waver, as if it were blowing in the wind. Her clothes changed from an evening gown to a tight, leather cat suit. (Think of Naria and Eria. Ok, change the color to black.) Her hair shortened and changed color. It was no longer black, but a bright red pixie cut. A sword appeared at her side and to finish it off, wings appeared on her back. Now, these wings are not like Van's angelic wings. These were wings of the devil, Bat Wings. Her eyes stayed the same, with the same evil, ever present glare reflecting in them. She seemed satisfied with her transformation, and took flight.

~~~********************~~~

"Van! That tickles!!" Hitomi laughed as She and Van were tickling each other as they walked back to their rooms.

"I know... that's why I'm doing it! I love to see you happy." Van answered, stopping his tickling momentarily. When Hitomi stopped laughing after a while, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her faces millimeters away from his. Staring deeply into his ruby red eyes that showed only Love for her, she whispered,

" Then I'll be laughing the rest of my life, if I'm with you. I can only be happy if I'm with you, Van." She said, smiling a little. Van smiled back.

"And I love you." He really meant it. He glanced at the door behind them. 

"Well, this is your room. I can't go in.. if I do, I'll be tempted, and I don't want nasty rumors going around, so I'll just kiss you good night." Van murmured. Hitomi chuckled a little.

"I'll bet you'll be tempted." Hitomi said in a sexy voice. Van just smiled and kissed her. She opened her door, said good night, then closed it behind her.

_Van is so sweet, caring, brave, just perfect. What did I do to deserve him?_ Hitomi thought looking back on everything they'd been through, how even when her heart was confused between Allen and Van, Van loved her all the while. Sighing happily, she got changed, and slipped into bed, where hopefully happy dreams would follow. 

No such luck.

Before she had even closed her eyes, something crashed into her window, sending glass everywhere. She quickly sat up in alarm, when she saw a woman barely in enough to cover herself. The woman turned her head towards Hitomi, and snickered at the fear she saw reflecting in Hitomi's eyes. 

_Ha! I'm supposed to believe that this little skinny thing actually survived the Great Destiny War?_ Princess Maya thought. She advanced on Hitomi, grabbing her arm. 

"VAN!!" Hitomi screamed in desperation. The woman frowned.

"He'll never be able to find you where I'm taking you." And with that, holding Hitomi securely, she flew out the window. 

Van heard Hitomi scream his name and ran into her room, only to find it empty. There was glass lying everywhere, and the curtains were swaying in the breeze. He ran to the window, trying to find something, someone, anything that might lead him to Hitomi. 

Nothing.

"Hitomi, I'm going to find you, just hold on!" Van took off his shirt and let his wings come forth. He then left Hitomi's room to look for her from the sky. 

~~~***********************~~~

Hitomi awoke some time later feeling very groggy. Looking around, she found she was in a cave of some sort, and her legs were chained to the wall. Running her hand through her hair, she felt something wet. She looked in horror as blood stained her hands. 

_Oh my god... Where am I? Oh Van, please help me!!_ That was all Hitomi could think before she blacked out. 

**~*A/N: Yes, I've come back from the dead. (Don't be like: 'what?' U thought I was dead didn't you!!! ^_~) I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. High School is a real killer. Well, I hope this is enough for now. I will try to get out another chapter around this weekend. (Oct. 13-14) please R&R!!!!! ~Feathers of the wind~***


	8. A Slave

~*A/N: Hello

**~*A/N: Hello!! I kept true to my word, here's chapter 8!!! Enjoy!!! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 8: A Slave**

"Wake up, you lazy animal!" An angry voice sounded, waking Hitomi from her disturbing sleep. Hitomi slowly opened her eyes, and saw her surroundings clearly. She was indeed in a cave, and the chains around her ankles were attached the wall. There was a fire in the middle of the spacious cave, and she noticed bones lying around the entrance of the cave..._Human bones_. 

Hitomi gasped when the person who yelled at her grabbed her hair, forcing her up.

"I thought I told you to get up!" The voice angrily shouted. Hitomi thought the voice was vaguely familiar. 

"P-Princess... Maya?! What are you doing?!" Princess Maya's lips curled into an evil smile. 

"I am no longer Princess Maya... To you, I am Mistress Malika. You WILL call me Mistress Malika otherwise you will never see Van, or the light of day again." With that, "Mistress Malika" threw Hitomi down, to lie low at her feet, where she believed Hitomi belonged. 

"Why are you doing this?" Hitomi winced, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her shoulders and her head. Mistress Malika glared down at her. 

"You will speak only when spoken to!" And Hitomi was expecting another hit or something, but had a 'collar' like device snapped around her neck. 

"With this, at my command, if you disobey me in any way, it will shock you. Or if I want it to, it can kill you on the spot. So, here are the rules. You obey me, do what I tell you to do, and you just might live. You don't do as told, well... I'm pretty sure you know what will happen then." Mistress Malika stood up and walked away, leaving Hitomi in her self despair. 

__Oh Van... Please find me. Someone, please help me! Is this what is to become of me? To be a slave to someone I once knew? Am I to die here? Without Seeing Van's face one more time? Hitomi would have thought more, but her 'Mistress' called. 

Hitomi found that her chains around her ankles were undone. Hitomi thought of this as a chance to get away.

"Don't even think of running away. Remember that handy-dandy little device I have round your neck." Mistress Malika threatened. 

_Damn..._ Hitomi thought, as she was led to a secret tunnel of the cave. Down below, there were other slaves, like herself. There was no chance to escape down here, there were big, strong guards at every escape route. Hitomi even saw the guards whipping some of the slaves. Cries of anguish and pain surrounded Hitomi. Smirking at Hitomi in her helpless state, Mistress Malika said:

" You will stay down here with the other slaves. One wrong move and either you will be punished by the guards or myself. Either way, it won't be pretty." Mistress Malika left. A guard roughly handled her, dragging her over to a patch of slaves, and told her to start digging or help carry some of the large stones found here. Hitomi noticed that these stones looked like Levi stones, but were a bright orange color. 

_I wonder what these are..._ Hitomi wondered as she helped to gather some and dig until the guards announced it was time for them to rest, and eat. Each slave was given a slice of bread and a little flask of water. Hitomi ate it in less than 5 seconds. A young, female slave came up to Hitomi.

"You're new, aren't you?" Hitomi nodded. The girl was pretty, although right now, her face was smeared with dirt. 

" Where are you from?" The girl asked. Hitomi was debating whether to tell her Fanelia or the Mystic Moon. but the words slipped out of her mouth.

"Fanelia." She smiled inwardly, yes, Fanelia was really her home. The though saddened her. 

"Really? I was from Fanelia too." The girl sighed, and looked with sad eyes at the ground.

"What's your name?" Hitomi found this girl interesting. 

"My name is Kay. I used to have a little brother and a mother and father. But they... were killed...By 'Mistress Malika'." Kay answered, through clenched teeth.

"I'm really sorry about that. I used to have a family like that too. I wonder how they are doing. I also have a fiancé." Hitomi smiled a little, thinking of Van. 

"Who's your fiancé?" Kay asked, interested. She hadn't talked to anyone in 2 months. 

"Van Fanel." Kay's eyes popped open. 

"The KING?!" Hitomi clapped her hand over Kay's mouth, but no one noticed them anyway. 

"The king?" Kay asked again, this time whispering. Hitomi nodded. 

"Are you serious? I heard that he vowed never to marry. Well.. then again, that was because his girlfriend from the Mystic Moon went back to her home." Kay answered. Then, looked at Hitomi. 

"Wait a second! What's your name???" 

"Uh.. Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki." Kay's eyes popped open again, for the second time. 

"Y-your the heroine from the Destiny War! You've got to help us!" Kay threw herself at Hitomi's feet. Hitomi quickly helped her up. 

"Please, don't do that. I don't want anyone bowing to me. Anyhow, I don't know how I'm going to get anyone out of here... I mean, after all, look at all the guards!" Hitomi explained, gesturing to all the muscular and mean guards surrounding the place. 

"Maybe King Van will help. I mean, he's GOT to be looking for you, right?" That's when an idea hit Hitomi. 

"Kay! You're a genius!" Hitomi closed her eyes, and tried to contact Van with her thoughts. 

_Van... Van! Are you there? Can you hear me?_ At first, Hitomi heard nothing, so she thought maybe Van didn't hear her. 

__Hitomi? Is that you! Are you alright? Where are you? Hitomi was so happy to hear Van's voice, she was almost in tears. 

_Van! I 'm alright.. I think. I'm in a cave somewhere... watch out for Princess Maya! She did this to me! I'm in the bottom of a cave with a bunch of people from Fanelia who were degraded to slaves. You've got to help us! _

_I will... I promise. I think I know what cave you're talking about. There are guards around, right? If so, I'll have to bring a small little army with me. _

_yes, there are several guards. It's just... you have to be careful. Please promise me, you won't do anything rash!!_

_Alright, I promise I won't be rash. I'll be there in a few days, so try to hold out. I love you. _

_I love you too._

With that, the conversation ended. Hitomi opened her eyes again, only to be face to face with Mistress Malika.

"And just what were you doing?" Hitomi tried to think of a plausible, yet not so obvious reason.

"I was.. uh... thinking to myself." Hitomi was rewarded with a shock.

"And what were you thinking? A way to get out of here? Well, you'll have no such luck!" Another shock came over Hitomi, with enough force to knock her out. 

~~~********************~~~

**~*A/N: Well, there you have it, Chapter 8!!! I was rather cruel, wasn't I? Don't worry... it'll get better... maybe. LOL. R&R!!!!!~Feathers of the wind~***


	9. Cruel Intentions

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**~*A/N: Allo everyone!! Since ff.net has been down, it's given me some time to write another chapter! :) Hmm.... what do you people HONESTLY think of this story?? ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 9: Cruel Intentions**

_How long has it been since I've actually seen the sunlight? How long has it been since I've...seen Van?_ Hitomi wondered, as she was once again, working as a slave to her 'mistress'. Van had said that he'd be here in a few days, but he hadn't shown up yet, and it's been over a week. Hitomi knew that Van wouldn't forget, so she had the right to presume that something bad happened to him. Hitomi had been so malnourished and so little sleep that she was so thin that she could barely stand up without stumbling all over the place. And with the heavy rocks, it made her go slowly. But, that must've been the intent as the guards joyfully began to whip the slaves, but didn't hit her. Mistress Malika had ordered that Hitomi was left for her to deal with, which gave Hitomi no comfort at all. 

Hitomi fell to the ground, as her body just couldn't take it anymore. Mistress Malika came up to her immediately and pressed the button that gave Hitomi a large shock. 

"Ahhh!!!" Hitomi screamed. Mistress Malika just smiled, an evil, heartless and cruel smile. 

"You think you're pretty smart don't you?" Hitomi had no idea of what she was talking about.

"W-What are you talking about?" Hitomi barely managed to whisper. Mistress Malika became mad and kicked Hitomi hard in the ribs. 

"You think I wouldn't know about your precious lover coming to save you? Well... I have a surprise for you!!" Mistress Malika snapped her fingers, and two guards came in, with a struggling figure. Before they even came into the dim lighting of the cave, Hitomi already knew who it was. 

"VAN!!!!" Hitomi tried to run to him, but Mistress Malika kicked her down again. Van saw that, and tried to struggle even more.

"Hello your majesty!! What a lovely surprise!" Mistress Malika/Princess Maya said in faking innocence. 

"Go to hell!!! Let go of Hitomi!!" Princess Maya just looked at him.

"OH? And what will you do if I don't? You forget, you are not the one in charge of those holding you. But let's get on with things. I didn't have you captured and brought down here for no reason. You see, as much as I would like to kill you... I rather see you suffer slowly instead." Van gasped as Hitomi was dragged over to Princess Maya, then thrown to the ground. 

"Stop that!!" Van shouted, when he saw a little trail of blood running down the side of her head. 

"Don't you get it? The best way to make you suffer... is to let her die right before your very eyes!" Princess Maya began laughing hysterically. Van got so mad, but the men holding him were too strong.

_NO! It can't be like this! I promised I would always protect her! Hitomi, I'm sorry! _Van closed his eyes tight and bowed his head in shame. 

_Van? _Van opened his eyes, to see Hitomi chained from the ceiling, hanging down vertically. 

_Van, I want you to know... This isn't your fault. Please don't feel that way. And...if I leave you today, I will always love you. _Hitomi barely managed to lift her head to stare into the eyes of the one she loved more than anything in the world. She gave a small smile, which quickly turned into a scream of pain as she was whipped repeatedly. 

"No!!" Van could believe it, it was almost as if Hitomi had been expecting to die, right in front of him. Van felt as if it were like a flash back from before, when they were captured at the energist mine, and Van was getting whipped. "No... She not going to die! Not if I can help it." With a strength he never knew he had, be shoved the two giant guards off of him. They were so surprised that they just stood there. Van quickly sprouted his wings and took off, flying towards Hitomi. Drawing his sword, he cut the rope binding his beloved and caught her. Hitomi was so light, Van could've sworn that she was lighter than his sword. Wasting no time, he attacked the guards, not killing them, but knocking them unconscious. All the slaves ran out of the cave as fast as they could. Princess Maya just couldn't do anything about that, but decided she could still cause Hitomi pain. Retrieving the control, she pressed a button. Multiple shocks coursed through Hitomi's body. 

"AHHH!!!!" Van looked at Hitomi and noticed the collar. Taking his sword, he cut it without hurting Hitomi. Hitomi's body now lay limp in his arms. 

"Hitomi?" No answer. Van began to panic. 

"Hitomi?! HITOMI!!!" Her eyes stirred slightly.

"Van...?" Her dry voice asked. Van hugged her close, ignoring the fact that she was wearing practically nothing. 

"Hitomi! I'm so glad you're alive!" Van then noticed that she was covered with bruises and cuts. 

"We've got to get out of here, you need a healer." Van quickly flew towards to exit. 

"I don't think so!" Princess Maya stood at the entrance. She began to transform into her devilish appearance.

"If you're going to go anywhere... you'll have to go through me. " 

**~*A/N:... Hmm.. that was a little weird, wasn't it? Well... let me know if I should continue with this story. ~Feathers of the wind~***


	10. Double Personality

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**~*A/N: I am back! Wowzers!!! A new chapter out quick!! Have fun!!! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 10: Double personality**

Van stood shocked as Princess Maya changed into her devilish appearance. 

"Why do you do this? What have I done to you?" Van asked through clenched teeth. One of Princess Maya's bright teal eyes blazed angrily at him. 

"Simple. Once I have you down and weak, I can take the Escaflowne." She replied. Van just looked at her with a blank look on his face.

"You think you can take the Escaflowne away from me?! I'm sorry, but it just can't be done." Van proceeded to walk further, thinking :how much can a girl hurt me? But almost got sliced in two. 

"What is your problem?!" Van angrily yelled. Princess Maya didn't respond, but attacked him again. 

_I have this one little problem... I can't fight properly with Hitomi in my arms.. she might get hurt.. Where should I put her? _An idea suddenly struck him. Backing away from Princess Maya, He put his hand on the pendant Hitomi was wearing. Hitomi's past words echoed back to him; _If you wish hard enough, your wishes will always come true. _

_I wish that Hitomi would be safely transported to the Fanelian Castle. _The blue light came down, and lifted her away. When the light disappeared, Princess Maya just stared. Van took this opportunity to strike at her. Princess Maya didn't notice until she felt a shark pain. She gasped when she saw a gigantic hole in her evil wings, and a huge gash in her right arm. She changed back into the normal Princess Maya, falling to the floor, writhing in pain, but still had the cut on her arm. Van was able to escape.

"I will get you for this... I swear." Princess Maya mumbled with a vengance. 

Van flew away from the evil cave, towards his castle, where his love would be waiting...

~~~~~************************~~~~~

Merle was aimlessly wandering around the palace, searching for something to intrigue her. Ever since Hitomi mysteriously disappeared, she'd been so worried for her friend. Now, Lord Van was gone too. What made things worse, was he'd been gone for over a week!! 

"I need some fresh air..." Merle mumbled to herself, and ran out to the courtyard. She stopped at Van's special forest, as she called it, where she had caught Van and Hitomi kissing. Her ears drooped and her eyes downcast, 'why..' she wondered. Why is it, that two people as kind as Hitomi and Van always want to be killed by something or other. Hitomi and Van are always looking out for other people, not just themselves. Merle sat down on a rock to think, when the column of light appeared a few meters away.

"Hitomi!" Merle cried, and ran towards it. Expecting Hitomi to be alive and well, she was very shocked to see Hitomi covered with cuts, bruises and not very much to wear. 

"Oh Hitomi!! What have they done to you? Don't worry, you be fine!!" Merle carefully picked up Hitomi, and again was shocked by how light Hitomi was. 

"Ok, either I'm getting stronger, which I doubt, or you're getting lighter!!" Merle kept talking the whole way back to the castle for some reason. Merle didn't really know why she did it either.

Merle quickly went to the healer's ward, and made sure Hitomi had the best care or else. When Hitomi had been settled in, Merle stayed with her, much to the Healer's protests. 

"If she wakes up, and her friends aren't here to greet her, she might get nervous. Besides, she's probably been to hell and back, and would like to see a familiar face." Merle reasoned, making the Healer leave. 

_Oh Lord Van... Hitomi's safe! But... Where are you?_

~~~~~********************~~~~~ 

Austuria was in a frenzy, after hearing their princess had gone missing. Princess Millerna had tried to not make it obvious, but no, a messenger just had to come down to the bazaar at the exact time she was there, and yell it out. 

"People of Austuria! Please calm down!!! Fanelia's King is PERSONALLY going to find her! There is no need to worry!" Upon hearing those words, the crowd slowly calmed down some, then went about their daily lives.

"Phew... Oh Hitomi... I hope you are safe." Millerna whispered into the wind, staring above into the clouds shining with the mid-day sun.

~~~~~******************~~~~~

Princess Maya was still lying on the floor, hours later. After Van left, she lost consciousness and had been lying there ever since. At dawn 2 days later, she began to stir. Groaning, she opened her eyes, and was surprised at the large gash on her arm.

"What am I doing here? How did I get this cut... Shouldn't I be heading home towards Alatoria?" She tried to pick herself off the floor, and succeeded. Leaning against the wall for support, she decided she should probably have her arm looked at first. The closest place was Fanelia...

She walked slowly, as too much movement hurt, and within 3 hours, made it to Fanelia. The guards saw her and let her into the castle. She wandered around looking for the healer, but saw Van on his way somewhere, he seemed to be in a hurry. 

"Van! Could you help me-" She couldn't finish, as soon as Van had one look at her he drew his sword. 

"W-what are you doing??" Princess Maya whimpered. Van narrowed his eyes.

"I should be asking the same of you! How dare you come in here!" Princess Maya's eyes widened.

"Why? What did I do? I didn't come here to cause trouble! I just woke up in a cave, with this huge cut on my arm, and I wish to have it healed before I leave towards Alatoria!" Van let his guard down a bit. 

"You mean... you don't remember?" Princess Maya looked at him quizically.

"Remember? Remember what?" 

~~~~~*********************~~~~~

**~*A/N: Well... whaddya think?? Does anyone understand the chapter title now?? LOL... please R&R!!! I tried my best to get this chapter out as fast as I could! Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story, and told me to write more cuz they liked it!! :) ~Feathers of the wind~***


	11. Attitude

**~*A/N: HALLO!!! I AM SO SORRY!!!! ff.net wouldn't let me log in! Grr...Heehee... I just had this great inspiration for a chapter in my story... however, this won't happen until later.. :( Oh well. I hope you enjoy this chapter!! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 11: Attitude**

Hitomi awoke at about mid-day, and found she was so sore, she couldn't move. She then realized she was weighed down with several blankets and quilts, so in vain, she tried to move them off, unsuccessfully. 

"Need some help there?" A calm, male voice asked. Hitomi looked up, and saw Van.

"VAN!!!" She was so happy to see him, she thought she would never see him again. Van smiled, and helped her to pull away some of the heavy covers. She sat up a bit too quickly, and lay down again, clenching her teeth as the pain of the cuts and bruises took their toll. Van sat down on the bed and gently and slowly helped her up. She threw herself in his arms, sobbing into his neck, just wanting to hold him again. She felt safe, as his strong arms wrapped around her gently and his gentle voice told her everything was alright. A few moments later, Hitomi looked up into his auburn eyes. 

"I love you more than life itself." She whispered. Van's eyes softened and he told her pretty much the same thing. They just sat there... then burst out laughing. Suddenly remembering, Van said,

"Hitomi... Princess Maya doesn't remember anything about... you know. What she did/was." Hitomi just stared.

"You mean... she doesn't know what she's done? Are you sure?" Van nodded.

"She also said she didn't even know why she was still in Fanelia... after all, she was due to leave 2 weeks ago." Hitomi looked deep in thought. 

"Maybe..." Suddenly, a vision came as fast as lighting at her. 

_Men in robes were in a dimly lit room, with nothing but a single metal table in the very center with a child strapped to it. _

_"Please! Let me go!" The little child sobbed, trying to vain to get out of the horrible, eerie room. A man held up a syringe with liquid in it._

_"Oh not to worry little one... this won't hurt." With that, the liquid was injected into the little child. So much for it not hurting, the child screamed as loud as possible, then blacked out._

Hitomi slumped forward a little, gasping for air, her eyes open wide. Van was very worried. 

"Hitomi? What happened? Are you alright?" Hitomi caught her breath then answered.

" V-Van... I saw a vision... just like... when Celena was turned into Dilandau." Van was puzzled. 

"Dilandau? He's long gone now... what would..." Van never needed to finish his sentence. 

'OF COURSE!' He thought. ' Princess Maya might be just like Dilandau, a child in which experiments were performed on. 

A knock on Hitomi's door brought him back to the real world. Merle came bounding in, happy as a kitten (literally!) and squealed in delight seeing her two best friends alive.

"LORD VAN!!!! HITOMI!!!" She cried, leaping in Van's arms, and licking his face. She then hugged Hitomi tightly. Sniffing, she started walking around Hitomi's room as she spoke.

"...and then I was walking around Van's forest, and the light came down out of nowhere!! And Lord Van, you should've seen how terrible she looked, cuts everywhere and stuff! I was so worried!!" Merle quickly inhaled a large breath of much needed oxygen. (Talking so fast is not good for a person's health!)

Hitomi was starting to feel sleepy again, but she knew she shouldn't just be sleeping all day. Stretching, she suddenly realized how hungry she was. 

"Van.. is there anything to eat??" Van came to her full attention. 

"Of course! Merle, let's go get Hitomi something to eat. Hitomi do you want food sent here or do you feel ok to walk to the dining hall?" Hitomi decided she should get up and walk about. 

Van and Merle carefully assisted Hitomi down to the royal dining hall, where everyone was excited to see Hitomi alright, alive and well. 

" Hitomi! I'm so glad you're alright!" Princess Millerna cried, running down the hall.

"Millerna!" Hitomi half-ran into her foster sister's arms.

"All of Austuria was worried sick about you! Oh they'll be so happy to hear you're alright!" Millerna continued to chatter a bit more until their food was served. After their meal, Hitomi and Van snuck away quietly, heading into the Royal Gardens.

They just walked around and enjoyed each other's presence until about near dinner time, when the sky had turned a beautiful pinkish blue color when the sun was beginning to set. 

"Oh Van... I'm so glad to be home." Hitomi sighed, as they were comfortably curled up under a tree. 

"I'm glad you're home too, I love you so much." Van gently kissed her lips, and Hitomi savored every second of it. Yes, this is where she wanted to be, and this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. This was the man, whom she would give her life for.

~~~*****************~~~

Princess Maya was now at home in Alatoria, and was trying to think back to how she had gotten into the cave. 

"Hmm... I don't recall anything...this is very disturbing..." Just then, a small voice in the back of her head answered.

_You DO know how you got there. You're just too afraid to admit it. Come on now, you know why you tried to kill-_

"I didn't try to kill anyone!" Princess Maya hissed fiercely. 

_Oh right... you keep telling yourself that. You can believe what you want, but you know deep in your mind and soul that you are his successor. _

"Who's successor?"

_Dilandau. _

~~~********************~~~

Hitomi and Van had just officially announced to everyone of both countries, Fanelia and Austuria that they were engaged and going to get married in a month. Everyone was so happy, and that brought a huge wave of relief to Hitomi and Van. Happily walking everywhere hand in hand, it was hard to find one without the other. Where Van was, Hitomi was there too, and vice versa. Summer was just starting, and the couple had wanted a nice, summer - weather wedding. As Hitomi and Van were walking around the castle, an advisor ran up to them. 

"Your majesties, there is an emergency meeting. It is of great importance." The advisor spoke gravely. Without another word, Van and Hitomi followed him, their happy expressions gone. What could've happened?

When Hitomi and Van entered the conference room, they were met by very serious faces. 

"What's the matter?" Van asked. A man cleared his throat and stood up. 

"Your majesty... Alatoria is going to wage a war with us." Van and Hitomi couldn't believe their ears.

"What? Why?!" Hitomi cried, before Van could even react.

"I actually don't know. Princess Maya just confirmed it. Immediate action is needed, what will we do?" Van stood silent. 

_Folken...I know you wanted a world where peace would reign for eternity. I tried...and succeeded for a little while. I'm sorry but you know this is what I must do. _

"Escaflowne." That was the only word Van said, and everyone knew what it meant. Hitomi looked horrified. 

"No!! Van, there must be a way to stop this without violence!" Van looked at her with pitying eyes. 

"That's your weakness Hitomi. You always think there's a way without fighting. I hate fighting as much as you do, but this is the only way." Van turned away from her.

_Oh, so that's what he thinks! I'm just a little girl whose ideas are too simple and innocent?!_

"Fine. I'm coming with you." Van whipped his head around, his eyes wide.

"What! No you're not!" Van was not going to let her come and endanger her life. However, Hitomi stood firm to her idea. 

"No. I'm coming with you. You may be wondering 'have you even held a sword?' Well, yes I have. Back on the Mystic Moon, I took sword lessons. You may be wondering 'have you ever managed a melef' well.. true I haven't. But I am a fast learner."

"Hitomi, I order you to stay here. You can't come into the battlefield with us! You don't have enough battle experience!" This little comment made Hitomi even angrier.

"What do you think I am, some dog who will obey you're every order? Sit, stay?! You can say what you want, I'm coming with you. As for battle experience, you want to see how good I am? Alright then! Van Fanel, I challenge you to a duel." Hitomi finished. Van looked at her as if she were crazy. She would have to be pretty confident to win, if she was challenging him. 

"I'm not going to duel with you. I don't want to hurt you." Hitomi was getting madder and madder.

"See!! That's your weakness! You think I am like some china doll that will shatter into pieces if blown on by the wind!" Hitomi didn't wait for him to answer as she grabbed a guard's sword from it's sheath and pointed it at Van. 

"Fine then. If you want to do it the hard way!" Van drew his sword and the battle began. He was holding back a little, and Hitomi noticed. When their swords clashed, Hitomi leaned forward and whispered harshly,

"Don't hold back, just because I'm a woman!" With that, she brought up her knee and kicked him in the stomach. 

"Aww, screw this!" Van thought and threw his sword aside and charged at her for a hand to hand combat. Hitomi also disregarded her sword and a fist fight broke out. 

The advisors watching were becoming quite scared. A woman was not supposed to fight! And even worse, a man, let alone a king, should not be fist fighting with a woman!

Van managed to get a good punch in her face, but Hitomi hit right back, with such a strong punch that it knocked him off of her. Quickly rising to her feet, Hitomi picked up her sword and pointed it at Van. 

"I win." Van couldn't believe it. He had lost...to Hitomi. In a way, he was proud, but also, his pride was a little scratched up in front of his advisors. 

"And I will be coming with you to the battle." tossing the sword back to the soldier, she left. An advisor came to Van.

"Lord Van... I knew something was different about her. She would prove to be the best queen in the world! You have chosen well." 

~~~*************************~~~


	12. The Battle begins

**~*A/N: Hey everyone! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Sigh. I'm really sorry about not updating this story for like... a month? I just had so many school tests and assignments lately. *grumble* ANYWHO! Let's get on with the story!!! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

The Battle begins

So, it was set. Since Hitomi had won against Van fair and square, she was allowed to come with him to Alatoria and fight Princess Maya. It was early morning a few days later and Hitomi was all ready to go. She had done some melef training, and was indeed a fast learner, and was pretty good. Van still hadn't apologized to her for saying she was too innocent or for ordering her about, and he could tell she was still a little mad. Van came behind her and gently hugged her. 

"I'm Sorry." He whispered gently into her ear. She heaved a sigh, and gently hugged him back.

"Me too... I probably shouldn't have reacted that way... You were just worried about me." Hitomi admitted, affectionately kissing his cheek. Van now felt so much better, after clearing that up. He still hated to apologize or admit he was wrong. But, this was the woman of his dreams, the love of his life. There was no way he was going to lose her by not apologizing, no matter how much he hated being 'wrong'. 

They went off to breakfast together, finally feeling the butterflies flutter about in their stomachs. Although they had won the war before, they both hated to fight. They ate without saying much, then Van got up to make sure the Fanelian Army was prepared and ready. Hitomi went to go speak with Merle. She wandered around, and finally found Merle sitting in Hitomi's room, staring out the window. 

"Hey Merle... what's wrong?" Merle turned to face her, her face tear-streaked. 

"Oh Hitomi... will the fighting never end?" She threw herself at Hitomi, crying. 

"I'm going to be such a nervous wreck, worrying about Van is enough, and now I have to worry about you too?!" Hitomi smiled a little, and patted Merle's back comfortingly. 

"Merle... I promise to you, that we'll be back. Or... At least... I promise Van will be back." Hitomi had some doubt that one of them would be coming back, she hoped for Merle's sake that it would be Van coming back.

"What do you mean, 'At least Van will come back'?! I want you to come back too!" Hitomi got a goofy look on her face.

"You do? Since when?" Hitomi was trying to get Merle's mind off of the battle she was leaving for in a few minutes. 

"Oh Hitomi... You KNOW I care for you, just like a sister. Ok, a VERY weird sister.... but a sister, none the less!" Merle giggled. Hitomi laughed along with her.

~~~~~************************~~~~~

It was now early afternoon, and Van and Hitomi were finally leaving. Hitomi ordered that half the melef units be left in Fanelia, just in case Alatoria decides to attack while they're on their way. The rest of the army was traveling by either leviship or by horse. Hitomi and Van were going by horse, their guymelefs were on the leviships. Turning around one last time to glance at her home, Hitomi bid farewell to the green, emerald country of Fanelia and hoped that in this battle both her and Van would make it out alive. 

About 8 hours later, they spotted the country of Alatoria. It appeared that they too, were prepared and ready for battle. Using a comm system, Van called the leviships down a little farther away from the country. He and Hitomi got into their guymelefs, and stood ready. 

"Hmmm... why should we let them get ready? Let's let them know we're here." Van smirked, and set off a fireball from a catapult. It of course, didn't reach the castle from where they were, but set a house on fire. Luckily, Van had hit an empty house. 

The city was no screaming for they knew the enemy was here, and the castle's defenses began to move out. 

"well... I guess this is it. " Hitomi sighed, feeling a bit of nervousness. Van turned to her, opening his Escaflowne's visor. 

"Hitomi... I want you to know... if this battle doesn't turn out the way we planned... I Love you. " he walked closer to Hitomi's guymelef and leaned forward and kissed her. Hitomi kissed him back as well.

"I love you too. Please.... be careful!" They then turned their full attention to the battle ahead.

It had begun.

**~*A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter was pretty crappy. I'm just tired out I guess, from all the fun I had with my friends today, it being the last day of school before the holidays. I hope you review my story *nudge nudge* and have a Merry Christmas!! ~Feathers of the wind~***


	13. A broken Promise

**~*A/N: OMG... I'm so late with updates... :( I'm so sorry!!!!!!! Well, here's another chapter...enjoy~ Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 13: A broken promise**

Hitomi's mind was set on the battle field, but also about the past. She remembered when they were young 15 year olds always fighting, but also standing firm like a rock to support each other. She missed those days, but now that a battle had begun... it was almost like 'old times' again. Of course Hitomi didn't WANT a war, but it just felt like her senses were up again, and the feeling of adrenaline pumping through her, making her heart race... she loved that feeling. It was the feeling she usually got with her running tournaments. 

Hitomi's mind then reeled back a few months ago... when she was reunited with Van. The happiest day of her life, in her book. Then, finally, admitting their love for each other, being engaged... it was just perfect. Would she make it out of this war alive, to have more precious moments like that with him? 

_I'd better stop day dreaming right now...otherwise I won't. _ Hitomi scolded herself. _Remember... you promised Van and Merle that you try to come back..._ of course Van had promised that same deed. 

The battle was truly ferocious, Alatoria was very violent. Princess Maya herself was actually fighting. Hitomi secretly made it her goal of the day to be able to fight her, understand what happened. Wasn't she once a menacing killer? But wasn't she also a normal person? 

Van stood out greatly amongst all of the other guymelefs. His Escaflowne, also known as the 'white dragon' proudly stood above the others, signifying it's great power. As much as Van would like to deny it, he felt like his old 15 year old self again, fighting in a war with Escaflowne.. and with Hitomi in it. Although, he still didn't like the idea of Hitomi actually being in it. 

When the battle had started, as the Alatoria soldiers saw Escaflowne, they stood there in awe, gazing at the legendary Ispano guymelef that was victorious in the Destiny War... at least, that was until Princess Maya yelled at them for standing there like idiots. 

"He's your enemy, not your museum artifact!" She had harshly yelled, and the battle ensued. 

No matter how much Van believed that Hitomi could take care of herself, he couldn't help but glance over in her direction every 2 seconds.

_Stop!! You know she can handle this herself... She even beat you! _Van smirked at himself. 

The battle raged on, but neither Van or Hitomi seemed to notice, the demand to be alert was much more important. When what seemed like weeks later (it was actually still the same day) the Alatorian forces seemed to be getting less. 

Hitomi still hadn't seen a sign of Princess Maya.

"Where the hell is she?" Hitomi angrily wondered, looking from side to side. However, she quickly put her attention back to the battle. 

_I'll protect her! _Hitomi heard Van's thoughts once again. _I'll protect Hitomi!_

Hitomi wondered where he could be, although right now it seemed like they were winning. Hitomi soon came upon a soldier equally matched as she. They were both trying their best to win, but it looked like their parrying could carry on forever. Suddenly, that soldier pulled a tricky move that Hitomi hadn't anticipated. She gasped as she knew her end would soon come.

_She remembered all the happy times with Van, Merle and the others. They were to be married.. Oh, Van... I'll never see you again. I'm so sorry. I-I... Love you! _Hitomi thought, bracing herself for the pain. 

The pain that never came. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hahaha.. I scared you, didn't I? LOL... ok, here we go:

Hitomi braced herself for the pain.

The pain that never came.

Hitomi peeked one of her eyes open and wanted to cry, for standing in front of her, was the Escaflowne. Van had risked his life for hers!

The Escaflowne painfully had a sword impaled on it's side. Despite the pain, Van managed to kill that soldier anyway, but that way all he could do before the Escaflowne fell to the ground. Hitomi quickly got out from her guymelef and ran to the fallen Escaflowne, opening the cockpit to see Van.

"van! van!!! Why did you do that?" Hitomi was in tears. 'This can't be happening! Van's not dying!!' She tried to convince herself, but it wasn't working. 

Van winced and opened his eyes, trying to smile through the pain. 

"Hitomi... I did it.. for you. I couldn't let you die..." He sharply inhaled, as the pain struck him. 

"So you're willing to let yourself die? Van! please tell me that's not what you were thinking!" Hitomi could already see Van's eyes dimming ever so slightly. "Tell me!" Hitomi cried, grabbing his hand. Van tightly held onto her hand, as if to never let go, and answered,

"yes. Hitomi.. I love you." Van slowly let his eyes close, so he could rest with the emerald-eyed girl imprinted into his mind forever.

"Van!" no answer. "VAN!!!" Hitomi couldn't believe it. NO! He couldn't be dead! She put her hand to his heart.... and nothing beat underneath her hand. 

The heart that had once saved hers.. was now gone. 

"VAN!!!!!! NOOO!!!! You can't do this! Please! you promised Merle you'd come back! You promised your country..." She yelled, as if she thought he could hear.

"You promised me." She whispered, breaking down, and sobbing into his shirt. Fields... she could still smell his scent, the smell of the fields. She looked at his face again, just to see if maybe he had been joking and was still alive after all. His eyes still remained closed. 

She cried a heart-wrenching sob and continued to cry. 

_Please... someone kill me now. _Hitomi pleaded. _But... then Van's life would have been given in vain. Hitomi's mind reasoned. _

_Well, he should have realized... without him, I am dead. _

She must have been sitting there for over an hour, and wondered why no one had killed her yet, as she was an easy target. She looked around, and found the battle field mostly empty. Alatoria had gotten what it wanted... the death of Fanelia, by the death of it's king. 

She looked onto his face again. She would never see those beautiful eyes again, or ever feel his embrace, or hear his voice... all because of her. 

"I'm so sorry Van... this is all my fault. At least you are with your family again... please tell them I'm sorry for what I've done to you... I love you... I always will...until the day I die." Hitomi whispered and kissed him once more. She took off her pendant, and placed it into Van's palm, then closed his hand around it. She never let go of his hand.

~~~~********************************~~~~

**~*A/N: I'm so evil, aren't I? I killed VAN!!! (I love Van!) Sigh... Well.. there you have it! Chapter 13! No, the story isn't finished yet. (ha, if it were you'd all probably kill me... ) please R&R!!! ~feathers of the wind~***


	14. Why is heaven my hell?

**~A/N: Hey hey!! yet ANOTHER late update... Sorry guys!!! It's just that between exams and having a life... updates can be late! lol... well, enjoy! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Could this be love?

**Chapter 14: Why is heaven my hell?**

Hitomi awoke feeling the sun's bright rays of sunshine extend to her like golden fingertips. She cracked her eyes open just a little bit, and her eyes took in all the destruction from the previous night. Covering the once-green-field, lay bloody bodies, melted guymelephs and well... more dead, bloody bodies. She looked to her side, feeling the tears come to her face again. Although Van was not completely covered in blood, he was indeed dead. She looked into his face, and saw her was smiling slightly. At that, Hitomi did smile a little. 

"At least he's probably with his family... a family he lost so long ago. He deserves them." Hitomi sighed, her voice cracking a little. Her throat was dry but she didn't care right at the moment. She was worried about what to say when she got back to Fanelia. 

_Umm.. yeah. Well, you just lost your King because he saved me... but that's ok, right?_ Hitomi could just picture it. She looked down at their hands, which were still held together. She sat up and tried to drag Van's lifeless body over to the Escaflowne, where she would attempt to fly back to Fanelia. She gently pried her hands away from his, and held the pendant in front of her. 

_I wish we could go back to Fanelia..._ Hitomi closed her eyes and awaited the blue light. 

~~~~~****************************~~~~~

Hitomi, Van and the Escaflowne appeared in front of the Palace. Everyone rushed to see what happened. She saw Merle. 

_Oh no... here it comes... I am in so much trouble._ Hitomi winced.

"Hitomi!!!! You're back!!" Merle was smiling her face off, but Hitomi wasn't smiling at all. 

"Hitomi... what's wrong? W-where's... L-lord Van?" At that, Hitomi had to bow her head down and walk back towards the Escaflowne. Merle gasped, and ran to her foster-brother's side. 

"Lord Van? LORD VAN!!!!!" Merle shrilly screamed. She turned back to Hitomi. 

"What happened?! How come Lord Van isn't responding?!" Merle already knew the answer, but she just didn't want to admit it. Hitomi still didn't look Merle in the eye.

"Damnit! I asked you a question! ANSWER ME!!" Merle cried, grabbing Hitomi by the shirt. One look into Hitomi's waterlogged emerald eyes and she knew. 

~~~~**********************~~~~

He was floating in air, even without his wings. He looked around... the place looked happy enough.

"nope.. I guess I'm not in hell..." He saw Fanelia... well, the old one, anyway. Van landed onto the ground and started to walk around. it was quiet, and peaceful. Although he knew he was dead, he half expected to see Hitomi around the corner... as if the battle was just a nightmare. Instead, he saw his.... 

Mother... Father and Folken. They were all sitting at a table in the courtyard, but the moment they felt his presence, they looked up. 

"F-father? Mother? Folken?" Van could hardly believe it... his family was all together. He walked slowly towards them, as if he were afraid they were frauds. 

"Van! Oh my son, I have missed you so!" Van's mother came up and embraced him tightly, crying a little. Van's father placed his hand on Van's shoulder as he spoke with pride.

"You have grown into a fine man and king, my son." Van smiled, and waited for Folken to say something. All he did, was open his arms while smiling gently.

Van ran into his brother's arms... his 'real' arms. Van for once, felt whole... complete. But that feeling didn't last long.

"So... I'm dead, aren't I?" Van bluntly stated. His family nodded sadly. Van heaved a sigh, he would never again see Hitomi... never hold her, or even talk to her... until she's dead, that is.

"Van... we know you miss her. You will see her again! You two are soul mates." Van mother comforted gently. Van managed a weak smile, then walked silently away. 

He realized that he couldn't have his family and Hitomi at the same time... he was brought here to choose. What should he do? Have the family he's missed for 15 years? or the love of his life, his soul mate, his Hitomi? 

he looked up at the sky, and closed his auburn eyes to just let it all sink in.

"Why is heaven my hell?" He silently asked, not expecting an answer. 

**~*A/N: Sorry for the REALLY short (and crappy in my opinion) chapter! It's just that I've been wrapped up in exams so, if you really want me to post more, you'll have to be patient so I can pass and not be grounded! ^.^ Please R&R!! ~Feathers of the wind~* 01.28.02**


	15. Eternal Love

**~*A/N: Omg Guys!!!! I'M BACK!!!!! I'm SOOOOOOO SORRY! it's just that I didn't know where to carry on the story from that previous chapter, and had a serious case of Writer's block. But, thanks to my good friend **_Sugar_**(I owe you BIG time!), I now have a story to carry on! (thanks again sugar!!)**

Could this be love?

**Chapter 15: Eternal Love**

Hitomi walked into what used to be Van's room at the Fanelian castle. She sighed as she looked around... everything in this room symbolized what he was. His room was quite simple really, since he was outdoors most of the time and wouldn't really have need for expensive stuff, and he hated to be spoiled. She walked over to his closet, opening it to reveal about a million of the same outfits- the red shirt and tan pants. She smiled at that- he hadn't really changed too much over the past, she was thankful for that. Taking one shirt off the hanger, she cradled it against her face, remembering how it used to feel when she would be pressed up against his chest. Then one thing set her off- his scent. The fields, outdoor freshness reached her nose, and she sank to the floor crying for about the 50 millionth time that day. 

"It's all my fault!" She cried, as her shoulders shook with grief and sadness. And there she stayed until the sunlight faded and turned into night.

*******

Van was sitting alone in the forest at night, trying to gather his thoughts together. he was back with his family, yes that was good. But, he didn't want to be without Hitomi. It seemed like he couldn't have both in his life. He ventured over to a calm little pool of water and stared at his reflection. The pool began to glow softly, surprising Van a little. The scene blurred into focus- he could tell it was a image of his room. He looked a little closer, and saw Hitomi crumpled on the floor crying her eyes out. He could even hear her soft whimpers. That just about tore Van's heart right out of his chest. Van never could ever stand seeing her hurt or sad... this was no exception. 

"How can I go back to her? Even if only for a short while... just to let her know I'm ok?" He asked no one in particular. 

"You are an angel. You can visit her when the moon in full." A soft voice behind him answered. Van turned around to see his mother. 

"Go to her. I know you miss her... and she no doubt misses you.. visit her." Varie smiled. Van smiled gratefully, and spread his angelic, yet cursed wings and took off into the night. 

Varie watched her youngest son fly off, his silhouette getting smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing from view. "Those two were meant to be together... fate is so cruel..."

~~~~~~~~

Hitomi had cried herself to sleep, still on Van's floor. The moonlight spilled into the windows, softly illuminating her. She woke up suddenly when something soft landed on her face. She sat up and picked it up off the floor-- a pure white feather. Gasping, she looked around frantically, searching for Van... it had to be him. She saw him standing by the window with his wings out, watching her carefully, smiling a little. Hitomi wasted no time in getting up to hug him, and never wanting to let go. They both held each other tightly, never wanting this magical moment to end. Reluctantly, Van gently pulled away to look Hitomi in the eye. Her eyes were sparkling with tears, her cheeks flushed. He smiled reassuringly at her. 

"Hitomi... I don't want you to be sad. Please... try to be happy." At that, Hitomi practically blew up in his face.

"Happy? You expect me to be happy, when the one man I love gave his life to save me? You expect me to be happy when all I can do is blame myself for your death? You expect me to be happy... when I can't be with you?" Hitomi whispered tersely. Van sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. He held Hitomi's hands with his own, and she felt something cold drop into them. He let go of her hands, and she opened them, confused. She gasped when she saw lay in her hands-- the pendant. She looked up into his eyes, silently asking without saying a word. 

"You gave me this pendant when you left for the mystic moon, so that I would never forget the love we shared. Now, I return it to you, so that you'll never forget that I'll always love you." Van softly kissed her on the lips. 

"Hitomi, would you do me a favor?" Van asked, after pulling away softly yet again. Hitomi nodded.

"Hitomi... look after Fanelia for me. Please, I need to know that you'll do this for me." After a short while, she nodded. 

"I'll try my best Van... could you do something for me?" She asked. Van nodded.

"Will you promise to watch over me, and be my guardian angel?" She asked softly. Van smiled again, and held her close. 

"I would have done it, even if you hadn't asked. Like you said long ago, I'm an angel. I'll always watch out for you, and I'll always be there when you need me." He glanced towards the window... the sun was starting to rise. It was time to go. 

"Hitomi...I have to go now. Please, don't be sad for me anymore, really, I'm alright. I don't regret what I did. I love you." He faded as the sun appeared over the horizon. 

"I love you too." 

**~*A/N: Oh... did this chapter suck too much? :p**** Once again, I'm really sorry for the long *cough cough* delay. ^^;;. Please R&R!! ~Feathers of the wind~* 03.01.02**


	16. well, isn't this wonderful?

Everyone, sorry to disappoint you, but this is just LITTLE author's note, albeit, an IMPORTANT one. 

Ok, I realize that the story line right now is depressing, and very sad, but... THAT WAS MY INTENT. It will be better going on into the story, but don't you dare review my story such as this author did:

Angel Undercover 

OMG!!!!!!! YOU CUNT!!!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!?!??!?!?! IT'S SUPOSED TO BE A HAPPY ENDING!!! NOT A DEPRESSING ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS TERRIBLE!!! HE'S NOT SUPOSED TO DIE DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN YOUR SAD LITTLE MIND!??!?!?!!? I REFUSE TO READ ANY MORE UNLESS HE COMES BACK ALVE AGAIN!!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!?!?!?.......wow........a typical anime that i hate....((aka, dbZ))..they die...and the come back...die...and come back...oh well, i cant help it, i love the guy!! ^_^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  
  
~Angel

I have a few problems with those kinds of reviews. 

1. Wow, real mature, calling me names. Sorry, but not only does that anger me, but also I could PURPOSELY not write anymore at all, if that's what you'd like. I'm trying to create a different V/H story, aside from the normal 'they see each other, get married, the end' type stories. 

2. Swearing. Did it ever occur to you people that there are possibly YOUNGER readers on this site? (Ie. 10 year olds and younger??)

3. Fine, flames... if you MUST do so, e-mail me, don't make it a public display. My e-mail is in my author's bio, but if you're too lazy to look for it, here you go: hitomi_kanzaki87@hotmail.com

There. That's all I have to say.

Have a nice day.

~Feathers of the wind~

P.s. I'm sorry if I've been sounding very pissed off, but I guess when you ARE pissed off, stuff like that happens, ne?


	17. The ancient shrine of hope

**~*A/N: I'd like to thank all those people who have wonderful words of encouragement! :) It makes me feel much better... so, this chapter is out to:**

**Sailor Hope  
River Dolphin  
Magicman  
Atlantis Angel  
Winter Light**

**and to everyone else I may have missed!! :) Now, on with the story!!**

Could this be love?

**Chapter 16: The ancient Shrine of Hope**

Story re-cap: Van and Hitomi have a little heart-wrenching chat...

~~**

Hitomi woke up the next morning, still on Van's bedroom floor. Her eyes immediately landed on a few of his feathers. Sighing, she picked herself, and the feathers off the floor, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. At that, she had to laugh. 

She looked absolutely hideous. Hair in disarray, her dress far beyond wrinkled and red puffy eyes from crying. 

"Why should I be crying? He told me not to... and I know he loves me. I've got to pick myself up and just try to go on without him..." Her last little statement was a little unsure, and it didn't really sound like she believed such a thing would happen. 

"If I'm not doing it for myself, at least I should do it for Van and his country." With that little bit of reason, she smiled a little, and headed down to her room for a much needed bath. 

~~~~~~*******~~~~

At breakfast, it seemed that everyone was giving Hitomi the cold shoulder. Although they weren't making a point of it, she could tell they blamed her for Van's death almost as much as she blamed herself. Even Merle would just look away when Hitomi looked at her. 

"well, why shouldn't she?" Hitomi asked herself. Suddenly Hitomi didn't feel so hungry and excused herself from breakfast. Millerna watched her 'sister', sighing. Looking towards the window, she felt almost certain that Van was watching her too. 

Hitomi decided to head outside, to walk through a forest or something... anything away from people. She went to her room for a quick change into a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt, eagerly running outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. She went into the forest where Van had first kissed her (the one with the waterfalls) and sat down on a large rock. Sunshine pierced through the canopy of trees, lighting up the area pleasantly. She watched in awe as a beautiful butterfly fluttered past, meeting up with another butterfly. She smiled as they flew away. 

_I wish I could stay in my imaginary world,   
away from everything but you._

_Just a little world for you and me.  
I can't wish for that to come true...  
because such a thing doesn't exist. _

These few words whispered their way into Hitomi's mind, removing the smile from her face. But everywhere she looked... everything reminded her of _him._

"I need to get away from here!" She cried, running blindly through the woods. Suddenly she tripped over a large vine, falling flat onto her face. When she looked up, all she could do was look in awe. 

Not 10 feet away from her, hiding in the darkness, was what looked like an old temple or shrine of some sort. It looked REALLY old... it seemed to be made out of wood, but it wasn't rotting. She got up and walked tentatively towards it. She felt... like she was being drawn to it. Magnetism, almost. She cautiously approached its large, wooden antique doors, and with a push, they creaked open. As far as she could tell, it was empty and dust filled. 

Still wanting to see more however, she kept walking in. When she was in the middle of the room, she stopped and looked around. She up at the ceiling, and almost screamed. It appeared that there was a spherical mirror floating above her, so when she looked up, she thought there was someone else in the shrine. Putting her hand to her racing heart, she wondered why it was there in the first place. 

She reached her hand upwards... debating whether or not to touch it. 

"Why not?" She wondered. It's just a mirror, right? Satisfied with that reasoning, she touched the surface with her fingertips. The mirror at first did nothing.... but then started to glow emerald green... surprisingly, the EXACT same shade as... her _eyes._ In the mirror she could see things from her past... when she was 3, and up into when she first came to Gaea. Then when she was back on Earth for a little while.. and then her joy at coming back. Everything....

"What... what IS this?" She whispered.

"It's your heart's deepest desires." A voice answered.

**~A/N: OOH!! Was that a cliffhanger?! lol... heehee...Who does the mysterious voice belong to? And why hasn't Hitomi learned that curiosity killed the cat yet?! until next time!! Plz R&R!! ~Feathers of the wind~* 03.05.02**_  
_ **  
**


	18. A Guardian Angel

**~A/N: Hello Minna-san! OMG... I am SO late with updates, I'm surprised anyone reads this anymore. :p I want to say thank you to *Sugar* because she helped me out with a few ideas. *Thanks hun!* I want 100 reviews!!! :) please...? heheheh... well, whatever... on with the story!**

Could this be Love?

**Chapter 17: A Guardian Angel **

*~Last time: Hitomi touches that strange mirror hanging above, when a voice interrupts her... who is it? *~

________________________

Hitomi gasped and turned around. When she turned, she was more confused than ever-- no one was there. Her breathing was shallow and uneven... who ever was there before had managed to vanish before she could even see them. She turned back to the mirror, and screamed.

Right in front of her... was her grandmother. Hitomi screamed out of initial shock, not really fear of anything, for some reason. After taking several deep breaths, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Grand mother.. you've got to stop just showing up like that!" Hitomi attempted some humor, but her grandmother's voice was rushed and had an urgent tone to it. 

"I've got no time! You've got to get out of here now! It's not safe." Hitomi was confused.

"It's not safe?" she wondered why it would be in the forests of Fanelia, if it wasn't safe. 

"Hitomi... why do you think it was abandoned? People say that spirits in this shrine... are here because they've died IN the shrine. They have gone mad with an insane chant that the spirits sing to a pure soul that enters here. If you do not leave immediately, your soul will belong to them, and you will end up dying here! Is this how you want to be?" With that, Hitomi's grandmother faded away. Hitomi didn't need to be told again- As fast as she could manage, considering she was wearing a gown, she hurried out of the condemned shrine. 

She sees the large doors ahead of her.. just a few more feet...

Abruptly, the doors swing shut. 

"NO! It can't... NO!!" Hitomi runs right up to the doors, and beats her fists on them, doing next to no damage. 

"Stupid... doors.. OPEN DAMNIT!" She gave one more fierce punch at the doors and sank to the floor. There was little light in the shrine, and it seemed to be getting darker each second...

"No, don't think about that. This isn't real. The doors just shut because of wind.. yes.. that's it. Wind." No sooner had she said that... faint chanting reached her ears.

***************************

Merle was roaming the castle, angry, sad and all jumbled emotions at once. She was sad and upset that Lord Van was gone. She was angry that he had lost his life because of Hitomi. 

"I always knew she was trouble..." Merle broke off, remembering how uncomfortable Hitomi was this morning at breakfast... of course, she was probably taking it harder than anyone else. She _loved_ Van. More than anything else in the world. She'd even given up her life on the Mystic Moon, just so that she could be with him. Merle was now just plain upset-- She didn't know what to do. And also, Hitomi had run off... somewhere. And knowing her, she always ended up getting in trouble. Merle turned into the opposite direction-and headed outside. 

"I wonder where she would've gone. Maybe to the little forest where she and Van..." suddenly Merle paled. Van never did tell Hitomi about a supposedly haunted place, just a little further.. what if..

No time for that-- Merle knew she had to hurry.

-------------------------------------

Hitomi curled herself into a little ball on the floor, trying to escape the chants she was hearing. She couldn't actually understand what they were saying, it sounded more like just wisps of words and quick whispers that made chills run down her spine. Her green eyes were open wide, her pupils dilated. She looked like she did when she had visions. 

It felt like she was choking, it was hard to breathe. But more than that... Hitomi felt more scared in her life than she'd ever been. At least even when Dilandau was around, she knew she had Van, Merle, Allen, Millerna and even Dryden to help her if she needed it.. but now she was alone. Van was dead- because of her. Merle probably hated her, Allen, Millerna and Dryden probably didn't even know she was here. Hitomi felt her lower lip tremble, and tears leaked out of her eyes. She didn't even bother trying to hold back a sob, even though the spirits would use her weakness as an advantage. And indeed they did. 

Suddenly, she just couldn't breathe anymore.... but she could still hear herself screaming. 

*******************************

Merle ran as fast as her feline grace could carry her, through trees and over rocks. She reached the shrine, and thought that maybe Hitomi wasn't in it, for the doors were closed. But then, a scream and a green glow from within the shrine changed her mind.

"HITOMI!" Merle sucked in her courage, and used her strength to try to claw at the door. 'Lord Van would never forgive me if I didn't help her... and I would never be able to live with myself for not helping out a friend.'

--------------------------------------

Hitomi felt herself drifting away slowly... as if she were evaporating into the atmosphere or something. She was vaguely aware of the dim green glow surrounding her, but she thought that was just because of her hazy state. Little did she know, but that really her life aura. Somewhere in her mind, she could hear an evil cackle...

...you belong to us now...

*****************************

Van was sitting alone... contemplating several things that seemed to contradict each other. 

" All my life... I've wanted to be with my family. And now.. here I am. But... I need Hitomi. I know we'll always love each other... but I can't stand this!" Suddenly Van felt queasy.. and weak. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath. A quick image flashed in his mind- Hitomi. She was in the shrine that was a little farther into the forest. 

"OH NO! I forgot to tell Hitomi never to go there! I have to help her!" Van's wings popped out by his will, and just when he was about to take off, a commanding yet feminine voice said, "Stop."

"What do you mean 'stop'. I don't have time!" Van was getting frantic. He didn't even know how he'd be able to help Hitomi... but like that really mattered. This woman wouldn't even let him leave! A woman dressed in white, presumably an angel or goddess was behind him. Her gold hair reminded him terribly of Allen's hair, and her eyes were an icy blue, contrasting with her pale skin. 

"We have made a mistake." That was all she said. Van was getting impatient. (AN: He does this a lot, ne? ^^)

"No really?! And what would that be?" The angel said nothing for a moment, which got Van really mad. Just when he thought about just leaving, she answered,

"She does not have a Guardian Angel. Every being in the universe has a guardian... it appears that fate decided not to give her one, for whatever reason that may be." She again, just stopped. 

"And you sit there calmly, while she's dying?! Who are you?" Van yelled. She silenced him with a look, and yet again, answered in a cool, calm voice. 

"There was no suitable match, even in the heavenly realm. However... You are her soul mate, no? And a draconian angel, none the less." She waited for him to catch on. 

"If you're suggesting myself, I say that you are a million years too slow. She always considered me as her guardian angel, to look out for her. I have to save her... please... how do I do it?" Van was aware of the pain fading away... Hitomi's presence, with it. The goddess/Angel pointed to the brightest star visible in the sky. 

"Fly there. You will reach her." The goddess Vanished. 

"That's all I need to know." He mumbled, and set off at break-neck speed. 

********************************

Merle's claws seemed to be doing nothing to the door. 

"What's going on in there?! I need to get in!" but Merle knew that she could do nothing. Only a miracle could help. 

"Please... anyone.. someone.. please help Hitomi. I can't lose another friend."

Merle ran back to the castle to tell Millerna and Allen where Hitomi was. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Van was flying faster and faster, towards his goal... the gateway to the living realm. he finally reached it, and found himself inside the haunted/damned shrine, ghostly figures looming over his Hitomi... sucking away her soul. He could see her once bright green aura dimming and becoming grayish. His own Aura, which was an auburn/reddish color flew over to help his beloved. 

She would live... he would see to that. 

*********************************

Hitomi was surprised that she was even still able to open her eyes. Despite the known fact that she was nearly dead, she could see something... someone. She couldn't see the exact features since her vision was becoming blurry... but saw a reddish color. Blood? No.. it was moving... And the chanting increased, trying to coax that person over too, she guessed. But it didn't seem to have an effect. She saw a burst of white from the red and a few feathers fell in front of her face.

Feathers...

Van...

VAN!

She felt her energy coming back, her sight restoring itself. The chanting stopped... and the spirits disappeared. She sat up and looked up at her saviour. She was right.

"Van!" he kneeled beside her and held her close.

"God Hitomi, I was so afraid I'd lose you again." Even though he was trying to be strong, she could hear a light tremor in his voice, as though he was trying to hide the tears that she could already feel on her cheek. 

"I was so afraid Van! I didn't think anyone would help me... I felt so alone." She cried onto his shirt.. wait. She was actually holding onto his flesh/bone form. she suddenly pulled away. 

"are you real?" She didn't want to get her hopes up. Van smiled broadly.

"Of course I am. I am your guardian angel. I'll be able to stay with you always... but no one except you can actually see me." Hitomi launched herself at Van, giggling happily, forcing them to make the doors open, and roll down the steps.

"Fresh air... " Hitomi inhaled deeply. Van smiled, and picked her up, flying her back to Fanelia. 

***********************

**~A/N: Ok, I had a lot of different scenes in there, sorry if it was annoying. OMG.. I was scaring myself while writing this.. and just to let you guys know, I'm writing this at 1-2 am!!! Well, I hope maybe I got a few more readers... ::ahem...:: lol. I'm joking. Well, if you read this, please leave a review! Thanks~ Feathers of the wind~**


	19. Magical Wishes...

**~A/N: Hey Everyone! I think this story is almost finished... maybe 2-3 chapters left. :D I'm really glad that a lot of people like this story, it's lifts my spirits! :) **

Could this be love?

**Chapter 18: Magical Wishes...**

** Story Recap: Van saves hitomi, they're on their way to Fanelia**

While Van was carrying Hitomi back towards the castle, he was so glad to be near her again. _Follow your heart..._ Van's mother's words came back to him. He looked down at Hitomi, who he had cradled gently in his arms, sleeping. She looked so peaceful and innocent sleeping, he noted. He saw the castle just a few miles ahead, and landed gently. He knew the no one else would be able to see him, so what would they think if they saw Hitomi floating in the air, as he carried her in? He took flight again, and flew up to her bedroom window. 

"Hitomi... some day. We'll be together." He gently kissed her forehead, and set her down, covering her with the blanket. Suddenly, the door opened. 

"Lord Van.. is that you?" Merle! How was she able to see him?

"Merle... how can you see me?" Merle looked around...

"Lord Van.. I can't see you, but I can sense and smell you. Where are you?" She began looking all over Hitomi's room. Van chuckled a little.

"Merle... I'm Hitomi's guardian Angel, so no one but Hitomi can actually see me." Merle looked huffed.

"Oh, so only she gets to see you huh?" Van decided to cheer her up.

"You know... your guardian angel is a rather handsome cat boy..." Merle looked up, with interest.

"how you do know??" Merle didn't want to get her hopes up... but, a handsome cat boy, was a handsome cat boy.

"I met him, of course." At that moment, Hitomi began to stir. She groggily opened her eyes, and saw Merle running towards her.

"God... no.." She muttered as Merle jumped on her.

"HITOMI!!! I was so worried! I knew you were in the temple, and I tried to get you out, but the doors wouldn't open!! I told Millerna and Allen, but the Fanelian councilors forbade anyone to go near the temple!!!!" Merle cried, while licking Hitomi's face. Hitomi was glad for Merle's concern... but what was going to happen now? Hitomi looked over at Van, and wished he was alive again. _Follow your heart..._ these gentle words were whispered in her mind... by Varie Fanel. 

Hitomi sat up, Merle backed off a little, standing aside... wondering what Hitomi was up to. Hitomi walked over to Van (Merle couldn't see him, remember?) and held his hand. They started to glow softly.

"I think... maybe it's time." Hitomi whispered to him. "Just this one wish.." Van nodded. Hitomi took off the pendant, and placed it in their hands. 

_I wish... that Van was alive once more... please... grant me with just this one wish..._

**A/N: AHAHAHAHA!!!!! A CLIFFHANGER!!!! lol.. sorry. It's just that I haven't written one in a long time... heehee. What do you know.. I actually got this out, in less than a month! yay! ok, well, I'll be posting more since I only have 1 or 2 chapters left. Please R&R! ~Feathers of the wind~***


	20. The end...? No... a new beginning

**~A/N: hey, when I said I'd be updating more, I wasn't kidding! I think.... that this is the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who read my story, and if you read my little notice from "love is forever" then you'll know why you may not see new postings from me. But, I'll have it here too:**

**I've decided to stop "love is forever". It's too similar to my other almost completed story, "Could this be Love". They'd just run into each other, and end up the same way. I'm just going to finish up that story soon. **

**I think I've also decided to temporarily stop writing fanfics for Escaflowne. I've somehow lost the obsessive interest I once had. :( I still like it, of course, I just don't LOVE it like I used to. You may see me around, posting little odd things every now and again, but I'll be in the DBZ corner for a while yet. Thank you, everyone, who has reviewed my stories and given encouragement! :)**

**~Feathers of the wind~**

**04.17.02**

**once again, thanks for everything you guys! You are the best! Now... for the last chapter!**

Could this be love?

**Chapter 19: The end..?No... a new beginning**

_please... just grant me this one wish...._

Those were the words of Hitomi Kanzaki Aston Fanel, a strange woman from 3 places; the Mystic Moon, Austuria, and Fanelia. 

Merle stared in awe, as a shimmering glow was cast upon her two best friends... 

"Lord Van.." Merle whispered... afraid that maybe she was just seeing an illusion. Afraid that she'd have too much hope... and then lose her friend again. The whole room was filled with silver and golden light, a burst of feathers clearly visible. 

Hitomi braced herself for the pain she knew was to come. She wished for Van to be alive... he could only do so if his and her life energies mixed completely. Meaning... she would inherit those beautiful, lovely wings and feathers she'd always admired upon her love.

And then it came: surprisingly, not as sharp as she thought. it felt like someone had put a small needle into her spine, then punched it lightly... then the pain was gone. However... her feathers were slightly different. Van's were a pure white, reflecting upon the purity of an angel...

Hitomi's were...a pale golden color. 

"You are finally together and united." A voice said. The two lovers turned and saw Varie, also with her wings spread.

"Mother... Why is it, that Hitomi's wings are different?" Hitomi was quite puzzled herself. She joined with Van, so her wings should be white... shouldn't they? 

"You, my son, are known as the white dragon. The white dragon is a warrior of passion and love, a fighter of goodness. Beside the White dragon, reigns the golden dragon, who nurtures and protects loved ones with unknown powers. Destiny has fallen this way, and shall remain." Varie smiled and walked over. She hugged her son, then turned to his wife-to-be. She embraced Hitomi as well as placing a gentle kiss upon her forehead. 

"You two have a long, beautiful life ahead of you. Go on... it won't wait forever!" Varie faded from view. 

"L-l-l-l-l..." that was all Merle could say, upon seeing her best friend alive again. 

"LORD VAN!" Merle cried and jumped into his arms, crying. Millerna and Allen ran into the room, upon hearing Merle scream.

"What's-- Oh my goodness! Allen!!!!!!" Millerna gasped. Van was standing... alive! Even after he'd been dead... must've been Hitomi's work. And... what's this? Hitomi had wings!

"Van..." Allen started.

"Allen..." Van answered back. There was a bit of silence between the two.

"Welcome back." Allen smiled, shaking hands with the king of Fanelia. Millerna snapped out of her daze and said,

"Hey! I believe we still have a wedding to plan!" Merle agreed. While Millerna and Merle discussed fabrics, food and such notions, Van and Hitomi stared into each other's eyes, seeing only the other in their world. 

When Merle asked Hitomi's opinion on the type of cake that should be there, she received no answer. She turned around only to see her in a liplock with Van. She smiled a bit before turning back to her Merle self.

"AHH! I've been scarred for life! Can't you two wait until the wedding ceremony to do that?" Merle joked. van and Hitomi only laughed, at that and the embarrassment. 

The end of an old tale, the beginning of a new life...

**~A/N: ok, maybe it was a little corny... :p. Sorry. Well, there you have it... Could this be Love... is finished! Sigh... And I'll probably post little poems every now and then... maybe. Depends. heehe.. well, signing off, luv y'all!**

**~Feathers of the wind~ 04.17.02**


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